Drama with Girls!

There is always a lot of drama around our house - 3 girls!! But today is one I have to blog about. I WISH I had video or even audio of the event, but I don't ... so you'll have to imagine. The girls all have Barbie dolls. Taylor and Jess play with them A LOT, Alyssa once in awhile. They share well SOMETIMES! But then they get on this arguing kick of "Its mine, you can't play with it!" Or "you made the mess so you have to clean it up" even though often they both made the mess. It is usually Alyssa and Taylor. Jess is a lot easier going usually. This week has been a week where we've had several battles about things. I've warned them that if they can't stop arguing I'm going to take it all away. And if they can't help each other clean up then I'm going to take it all away. So, this morning, they argue over a Gabriella HS Musical doll. Taylor claims its hers (and it has her name on it). But Alyssa claims Taylor has to give it to her because Taylor broke Alyssa's doll. My thought is WHO CARES? You've all got at least a dozen more dolls. I try to work it out with them and they won't. So I take her away. I tell them to share and clean up their messes and send them back upstairs.

The drama continues and intensifies!! A few minutes later, Taylor says Alyssa is stealing something of Jessica's. Well, I've had it!! I walk calmly to the kitchen, get a big trashbag. Alyssa screams at Taylor that I'm going to throw it all away and its Taylor's fault. I go upstairs as Jessica is SCREAMING "NOOOOOOOOOO! No mommy, no! We'll clean up!" Alyssa is also screaming at the top of her lungs "no, please mommy, no." She flops down in the hall, on top of the pile of her Barbies that she has confiscated from her sister's room. Taylor and Jessica are both crying and screaming, "please no" as they FRANTICALLY shove dolls into the drawers where they store them. Taylor has her favorite doll tucked under her arm, protecting it from me. I calmly pick Alyssa up off the floor and load all of the dolls into the trash bag as she sobs and screams. Then I go into the play room where the little girls play and proceed to bag up all the dolls still on the floor. I open the drawers and bag every Barbie they own. Taylor and Jessica and Alyssa are all SCREAMING, BEGGING me to stop. Begging me to not throw them away. I quietly respond they need to share, that I have warned them and they can have them back in a week and continue bagging every last doll, including the one Taylor had tucked under her arm. At this point, they are all still screaming intermittently with sobs in between. Then I go to the other rooms and pick up every Barbie I can find, including all of Alyssa's in her drawer. They are absolutely HOWLING.

I put the dolls in my room (an ENTIRE BIG TRASH BAG FULL). Karianna is here working and she and I are both trying to not LAUGH. They honestly sounded like I was killing them. I've never heard such a racket from them. Good times, good times!

After I had my laugh, I went back upstairs and demanded that all three of them sit on the couch. Alyssa had called Taylor stupid and blamed it all on her and was absolutely fuming mad. Jessica was just plain sad at this point. Taylor just frustrated and sad. They sat on the couch and I then let them have it - gave them a lecture about sharing and getting along as long as they live in this house ... the lecture about being sisters and loving and helping each other. I warned them that any other toys not picked up by swim lessons today would also be bagged and taken away for a week then sent Jessica to go get busy cleaning. Taylor and Alyssa needed to give each other a hug and apologize for not sharing or they could sit on the couch. Taylor softened and tried to give Alyssa a hug a few minutes later and apologized, but NOT Alyssa. Taylor and Jessica are now cleaning. Alyssa on the other hand probably will lose more toys today and probably miss her swim lesson and maybe even a party tonight all because she won't say I'm sorry for not sharing and admit that she was wrong too. She's definitely got my stubborn personality!! I hope she learns to control it better than I did and learns to be nicer to others so she is happier growing up. I hurt a lot of people and was mean to a lot of people because of my stubborn and often bad attitude. I hope she can learn to not be that way so she doesn't regret her actions like I often do. When I told Karianna that I wished I had a video or audio of the event, she laughed and commented about how funny it would be to show a boyfriend that one when the girls get old enough to date! So true! I don't remember drama like this when I was little - at least not between me and my siblings because I was so much younger than them. I do remember a lot of drama with my older siblings in high school though so oh the joys that are ahead of me, (and you too if you have kids!). Gotta love them (if we don't strangle them!). :)