Ds has a really hard time admiting anything is his fault. He stubbed his toe once, it's because *I* should have picked up a box off of *his* floor. This morning he dropped the oatmeal canister resulting in a huge mess, but that was because his sister was sitting in front of the cabinet when he was going to put it away. So today we're playing an accident game. I made a chart in the kitchen and every time someone has an accident they get a tally mark. Whoever has the most at the end of the day wll win, I'll print out a certificate or a ribbon to give to the winner at the end of the day. Only "real" accidents count though! It seems to be helping, at least for today. I never guessed we'd be making a game out of accidents!
Actually that's a GREAT thing to do! So long as no one ends up in the hospital. I once read that best way to get someone to stop doing something they don't want to do is to make them TRY to do it. For example I had trouble with my little gymnasts falling down on their back walkovers. So I put them all on a big fluffy mat and we all TRIED to fall down. Once they were having fun with it I took them back on the harder mats and then not one of them fell again! I think it's hard for anyone to learn how to accept blame. The Asians have it right with making so that a person can "save face" as part of politeness. In our house we don't focus on who's to blame, but who is going to take responsibility and clean up the mistake. The one who takes responsibility is praised...so often when there's a spill we have a rush to see who can help the most! You're on the right track!
LOL, That's a great thing to do!! Lance's thing is if he doesn't think something is the way it is, then he is right. Even when it's right in front of him. We told him there was a batGIRL and not just a batman. He told us we were wrong, so we found some pics of batgirl and he said we were still wrong. I guess he just didn't think it was right!
Well DUH Codi, girls aren't supposed to BE a super-hero, they're only supposed to be the helpless victim!
I have one who gets so upset if she makes a mess or causes an accident. She feels so guilty when anything goes wrong that sometimes she cries over it. I always say did you do it on purpose? When she says no, I say well then it was just an accident and everyone has them. If you had done it on purpose we would call it an "on purpose." She is getting better about being so sensitive as she gets older.
My oldest has always been that way. It's funny to hear a 16yo (he's 17 now, but I haven't heard him say stuff like this lately) say, "Stupid spoon!" when HE drops a spoon or knocks it off the table! HUH?! There are MANY more stories like that from him! When he was little we would watch "Bill Bye the Science Guy". In the beginning credits they had music, then they'd go "Bill, Bill, Bill, Bill..........Bill Nye the Science Guy." Well, he INSISTED they were saying "Bam, Bam, Bam, Bam.....!" Nothing we said could convince him otherwise!
I get that all the time from my 91 year old MIL it's always someone else fault when she looses something or does something, never hers. So, I guess they never grow up I dunno
Once in a while Ems will do this. She stubs her toe, spills something, or trips and blames the object. I always tell her, don't blame the _________ . It isn't human. It has no ill feelings or intentions. It is your fault. You are human and need to be the cautious one.
We did that with our ds. He'd always say, "Yeah, but..." and have "logical" reason why it still was not his fault, but the spoon's fault! <shrug>