Childcare for Idiots, Thursday

[mouthy-merc.livejournal.com]

No very special guests in class this week it would appear. Because Deadpool was too awesome to need another team up.

"Today we're gonna talk about something that happens with all kids," Deadpool said, arms crossed over his chest like this was totally serious business. "Unless they're overly precocious little monsters that are biding their time, lulling you into a false sense of security before they stab you to death while you sleep."

Wasn't he just cheery?

"I'm talking, of course, about temper tantrums."

Clearly!

"They can happen for any number of reasons," he continued. "They're sleepy, they're bored, they feel like pushing boundaries today, or just because they wanna. Children are insidious and less predictable than me. And that's sayin' something."

Luckily Jan was busy pretending to read a book about gay, gay penguins and had nothing to contribute to this class as an example. Or maybe she was biding her time. God help us all.

"So, how do you respond?" Deadpool asked. "Not like a bitch ass parents on those stupid Nanny 911 shows, that's for sure. God, I hate them with every fiber of my being. So, I wanna hear what you think should be done when dealing with a tantrum. Get into groups of two and discuss. Just remember that logic and reason ate useless with kids. Useless, I say!"

Comments

Discuss Reactions

[mouthy-merc.livejournal.com]

Grab a partner. How would you respond?

Re: Discuss Reactions

[answer2bheard.livejournal.com]

It was fairly safe to say that Jim had never dealt with a temper tantrum in his life.

... With the possible exception of his own, but those totally didn't count.

Still, he was willing to toss around ideas. That had to mean something, he figured, as he looked around for a partner.

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[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

"What can't you just give them what they want?" asked the youngest of six.

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[answer2bheard.livejournal.com]

"It would quiet them down pretty quick, right?" agreed the only child. "My mom used to give in pretty easily when I wanted something, anyhow. I just had to bust out the sad little kid eyes."

They held power.

"But if I was ever having an actual tantrum, she'd say no, on the grounds that if she gave in for one screaming fit, I'd start to figure that was the right way to go about getting anything that I wanted."

Breaking the law worked so much better, anyhow!

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[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

"Well, perhaps," Rilla said. "I never really kicked my heels and yelled over things."

She just dropped cakes into brooks.

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[answer2bheard.livejournal.com]

"I wasn't too bad when I was little," Jim replied, grinning. "But I think maybe my mom was always a bit of a pushover. I can barely remember all of the pets that I got away with bringing home over the years."

Most of which had tentacles and extra eyes, and so on.

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[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I lost track of how many kittens we had running around Ingleside," Rilla laughed.

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[answer2bheard.livejournal.com]

"And no tantrums required?" Jim had to check, yeah. But he was doing so with a laugh. "I think a kitten is probably one of those things I haven't had."

He would have remembered. They didn't really have them back home.

Re: Discuss Reactions

[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

"Well, I had to wheedle a bit if it was to live inside the house," Rilla admitted. "Were you more a dog person?"

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[answer2bheard.livejournal.com]

"I was an anything person," Jim chuckled, "but I don't think I've had a dog, either."

He wasn't entirely certain he knew what a dog was. At least not in the pet sense. Dr. Doppler was certainly fairly canine, himself, but astrophysicists didn't tend to make good housepets.

"I've probably had a lot of weird pets you've never heard of, though."

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[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I won't be shocked," Rilla said. "My friend Carl from home is a friend to all the tiny beasts. He slept with a frog in his bed for years."

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[answer2bheard.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, that sounds like me," Jim replied with a laugh. "There might have been a few tantrums when Mom tried to get the more slimy of my pets out of the bed, though."

See! He was willing to admit it!

Re: Discuss Reactions

[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

"How slimy were they?" Rilla asked.

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[answer2bheard.livejournal.com]

"They got progressively less slimy as I got older," Jim offered. "That has to count for something, right?"

Sure it did! It totally didn't answer her question. But it counted for something.

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[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

"Did they also get larger?" Rilla checked.

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[exactlyaverage.livejournal.com]

"I'm a big fan of the time out," Jack said leaning back in his chair. "You can try to reason with them but if they've totally gone off the deep end then it's a time out for them followed by reduction of privileges."

Yeah, Jack. We all know how well that worked out with Zoe.

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[hurtingzeebo]

"Yeah, but then they'll just be like 'fine, then I don't have to see your stupid face,' and then run away."

Or maybe that was just Sam.

Re: Discuss Reactions

[exactlyaverage.livejournal.com]

No, that was Zoe too. Unfortunately.

The look on Jack's face might show those memories coming back to him.

"Well... Sure, they might try that," Jack reasoned, " You just have to make sure you set boundaries."

Like the time he put his daughter in a jail cell. Yep. Father of the year material right here, folks.

Re: Discuss Reactions

[hurtingzeebo]

Sam had gotten stuck in a jail cell before, too. Though not by a parent.

"Uh huh. Boundaries."

She clearly didn't put much stock in boundaries.

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[exactlyaverage.livejournal.com]

"Okay, fine!" Jack said throwing his hands up in the air. "How would you handle it? Call them a 'nub' and take their Milk money away?"

Re: Discuss Reactions

[hurtingzeebo]

Sam . . . would probably do that even without a tantrum.

"Ignore them," she said. "They'll get tired of screaming an' yelling eventually, and then they'll figure out that it doesn't get 'em anything."

For instance, if it weren't for the fact that Carly broke down every single time, Sam might have given up on throwing tantrums ages ago.

Re: Discuss Reactions

[exactlyaverage.livejournal.com]

Jack opened his mouth to disagree with her.

Then paused.

Then slumped back in his seat. "Crap. That's a good idea."

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[hurtingzeebo]

Sam beamed.

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[exactlyaverage.livejournal.com]

"Shut up."

Re: Discuss Reactions

[shes-got-legs.livejournal.com]

Considering that Ariel was the start of at least a few temper tantrums herself (especially one epic one that actually got her to sign a deal with a sea witch so she could have legs and all), she figured this could be...pretty interesting. She grinned a little, glancing around for a partner.