When Kids Can Teach Each Other

I love when my 'long time kids' help me to teach the new families the rules around here. It's music to my ears when I hear the older kids teaching the smaller ones. My rules never change, and my mantras are many. Often, I hear my words coming out of the mouths of my charges as they help me keep order under our roof.

I'm unwavering with my rules and expectations. I often compare myself to a drill sergeant as I bellow the same old thing time and time again. "The rules don't change" is one of my many favorite sayings. "You know better ... when you know better, you do better" is another.

I think the consistency is a good thing. I expect the same behaviour from everyone, so even though I'm strict (if I was a kid, I would think that I was mean) I believe what saves me from being a true ogre in the eyes of the kids ... is that everyone gets treated the same. I'm quite certain that I don't play favorites (though there are the mild mannered kids that I am not so forceful with because it simply doesn't take more than a sideways glance and a comment and they are towing the line immediately).

Kids voices carry very well. So I will often hear their efforts to resolve a situation using my rules, my words and eventually a "Colleen will get mad" to get someone to listen. When nothing seems to work, I try to silently approach the situation to have a look at what is transpiring. Then I will help the one who has been trying to handle the situation and tell the offender "If you listen to ____, you don't have to listen to me (tell you the same thing, only louder)." "The kids know the rules ... listen to them."

I feel like it validates the one who was trying to live up to my expectations and helps teach the smaller (or new) ones to respect whoever is trying to get them to follow the rules.

For the most part, it works very well when the kids can take control of a situation. It is something that they are going to come face to face with at every turn in their life. With friends and family that they play with; at school; at the playground; all of their life.

It's a small thing, but I think it is a good life skill for kids to have. Adults are close at hand when they are needed to intervene ... but if they can learn to stand up for their rights, rules and rights of others at a young age ... it can only help them down the line.