I Survived
Dec. 19th, 2015 01:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
transposable_element ...a slumber party for six 8-10-year-olds, including two sets of twins. Filia's annual birthday/pizza/Minecraft/pancake breakfast sleepover party!
Whew.
Unlike two years ago nobody threw up, and unlike last year nobody woke up in the middle of the night and decided to walk home (half a block).
Behavior was mostly acceptable, but I did finally lose my temper at one of the half-a-block-away twins as I was trying to get her packed up and out the door an hour after the party was supposed to end. She claimed to be unable to fold the air mattress that she had brought with her and sat there on the couch regally reading a Garfield book while I wrestled with the mattress. When I was finished, we had the following conversation:
Me: I really don't understand why you're behaving this way. [Repeat several times until she looks up from her book.]
Her: What way?
Me: Well, you expect me to do everything for you. You don't offer to help. You never say please or thank you. And you ignore me except when you want something.
Her: Oh. Well I'm reading right now.
Me: Pack up the rest of your things and go home now.
I managed not to raise my voice. Honestly, I've been wondering whether to say something to her parents for a while now. This child's sister isn't quite as bad, but they are both very demanding and ungrateful, as well as incredibly whiny and prone to bursting into tears when they don't get their way (earlier she had pitched a fit over the proper way to distribute the pinata spoils). Filia's behavior isn't perfect, but she is better about please and thank you, she rarely whines, and she is generally good-natured. She's more than a year older, but even at their age she was a lot less selfish and rude. The other set of twins, who are about the same age as the neighbor twins, behaved beautifully and were very polite.
Interesting statistics:
Among the six girls, there were a total of three birthdays. The only other singleton besides Filia has the same birthday but is a year younger.
There were also a total of three first initials: three R, two M, one A.
Whew.
Unlike two years ago nobody threw up, and unlike last year nobody woke up in the middle of the night and decided to walk home (half a block).
Behavior was mostly acceptable, but I did finally lose my temper at one of the half-a-block-away twins as I was trying to get her packed up and out the door an hour after the party was supposed to end. She claimed to be unable to fold the air mattress that she had brought with her and sat there on the couch regally reading a Garfield book while I wrestled with the mattress. When I was finished, we had the following conversation:
Me: I really don't understand why you're behaving this way. [Repeat several times until she looks up from her book.]
Her: What way?
Me: Well, you expect me to do everything for you. You don't offer to help. You never say please or thank you. And you ignore me except when you want something.
Her: Oh. Well I'm reading right now.
Me: Pack up the rest of your things and go home now.
I managed not to raise my voice. Honestly, I've been wondering whether to say something to her parents for a while now. This child's sister isn't quite as bad, but they are both very demanding and ungrateful, as well as incredibly whiny and prone to bursting into tears when they don't get their way (earlier she had pitched a fit over the proper way to distribute the pinata spoils). Filia's behavior isn't perfect, but she is better about please and thank you, she rarely whines, and she is generally good-natured. She's more than a year older, but even at their age she was a lot less selfish and rude. The other set of twins, who are about the same age as the neighbor twins, behaved beautifully and were very polite.
Interesting statistics:
Among the six girls, there were a total of three birthdays. The only other singleton besides Filia has the same birthday but is a year younger.
There were also a total of three first initials: three R, two M, one A.
no subject
Date: 2015-12-20 11:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-12-20 01:25 pm (UTC)I think at one era of my life, I must have been similarly terrible in some moments, but one hopes not as much, not all the time. It's just that I distinctly remember that the combination me + some activity like reading or drawing = socially bad behaviour. But, repeat, one hopes not all the time; the pleases and thank yous were an important part of the upbringing of everyone around me, me included obviously.
Based on my own experience, if it was just that, it can be grown out of. :D
So I think it might not be a bad idea to say something to the parents, I'm just not sure what the best way to go about it might be. How would such behaviour come about in those kids?