Gun play, or not?

Boys will be boys, or for that matter girls will be girls, or perhaps they’ll be boys and contrarywise. Any-hoo, children will probably be children and at some point, unless you’ve turned your home into an ideologically sealed bubble, they’ll point something at you and say BANG.

You have at least four responses, as you know your kids and hopefully yourself. Pick and choose what seems right.

Do nothing.
Back when I was teaching behaviour management to secondary school teachers this was my golden rule. If you can ignore it, and get others to ignore it you’ll drive the perpetrator cuckoo. It’s bound to escalate, and you may get a couple more imaginary rounds fired off at you; but as long as you don’t blink, look stropy or show any sign of displeasure, it’ll stop. The downside is that something else will become the “look at me”… so try to make sure it’s the washing-up.

Launch the good ship Dressing Down.
Never the greatest of tactics, but it has it’s place. Sometimes children need to have their reason engaged. But be aware the reasoning of a four year old is far superior to your own. For starters their logic doesn’t have to make sense until it places you as a grown up at a distinct disadvantage. You have been warned.

Frag-fight.
This is fun if it’s not a kid you have to see too often; just point your fingers and fire. Most kids have a mental niche for mad-aunt/naughty-uncle that needs filling. It’s an important role, teaching kids to misbehave just a little in a preferably creative manner.

Roll over and play dead.
My own personal favourite. Last time I was stick-shot I hammed up a worthy passing from this mortal coil, then lay there for 5 minutes and caught a little shut eye. Kids got bored, and didn’t try it again.

Your call.

Enjoy.

tag... play, philosophising, running wild