That is NOT what Mommy meant by wiping your hands, Elizabeth. (At least it wasn’t Michael; he would’ve scrubbed the wall himself after Ellie handing him the sponge and bucket of sudsy water.)
Parents of young kids should not go out of their way to expects their homes to look like the photos in “Better Homes and Gardens.” Just relax and think of decorating or painting when the kids are older.
The house where I raised my 4 kids had a lovely carpet of mixed shades of brown when they were teens, and beige walls.
When we first moved there (in the 70s) the carpet was an avocado green, so I painted the walls a pale celery. The hallway to the bedrooms was a problem with fingerprints, so on the celery base color, I painted a row of trees (just trunks and branches, but with a suggestion of “leaves”). Those leaves might be about thumb print size and having that design on the walls as high as the children could conceivably reach made it much easier to spot clean fingerprints without leaving a line where I stopped.
I hope that helps some of you who still have little ones around.
Four kids. I’d start wiping fingerprints off by the sink, continue along the cabinets, through the doorway, along the wall to the stairs, up the stairs and into the bedrooms. I wore out more dishcloths than I could keep up with!
Another idea could have been for Elly to shout at Elizabeth about what she did; hand her the oil soap and sponge, then stand over her saying “You made this mess, you are not doing anything else until every last bit of goop is gone!” That is not to say that spanking does not serve a purpose to dissuade children from future bad behavior. Is there some law in Canada that outlaws corporal punishment? If so I would be interested to know how it is enforced, considering the US had regulations that prohibited anyone from drinking alcohol. Needless to say that failed miserably. I guess it all boils down to is what would Christ say about child discipline?
You mean to say that she can’t be a smart kid? Academic excellence and connecting actions and consequences operate in different parts of the brain — and often different parts of the same brain.
In my own apartment, I walk around with my hands to my sides to avoid getting finger prints on my walls and I only touch the door knobs themselves when I need to open and close a door. Have you ever seen the rims around the doorknob handles even when there are only adults?
For the time Ellie spent cleaning up the mess, it would have been better vested in following through with Elizabeth and see that she went into the lave to wash up. There’s a better chance that time spent will have a better return for both of them than to giving directions without reinforcement; Ellie will in the end be able to trust Elizabeth to become independent and Ellie for not spend timing cleaning up messes her kids will make. If only to have told her to “come show me your clean hands after you finish”. The messes only get bigger as they get older.
I have been buying carpeting in the color of cat vomit for years. You should see the reaction I get when I ask for it. By the way, this is a comic strip, not real life, so ease off on the comments as to how Ellie should be raising her child.
Some kids just have an evil streak, and no matter how or how much you teach them (or punish them), their dark side will come out sometimes. Once I went against my better judgment (which was screaming “NO! NO!” inside me) and read Shel Silverstein’s “Nasty School” to the seven-year-old grandchild because I thought she’d enjoy it and was mature enough not to act it out. I prefaced the reading with “We don’t REALLY do these things, do we?,” etc. Afterward she got a marker (permanent, I think), which we try to hide from her, and drew a big face on the gray living room rug (which used to be light blue). I had her scrub and scrub it with serious amounts of rug cleaner and numbers of brushes, but as far as I know, faint outlines of it are still there. If you want to see what not to read to a destructive type seehttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/books/review/nasty-school-and-other-poems-by-shel-silverstein.html?_r=0
Of all of the people angry about this strip, how many of them can say that this, or similar situations, have never happened to them.1. Teach a kid to do right and they will still do wrong at times, some more than others2. It is a comic strip! Even Lynn has mentioned that, although a lot is based on real life, a good portion is based on what she would have done.3. What she did in real life might have been different than here. Why? Because this is a comic strip!! It is supposed to be exagerrated!
Templo S.U.D. almost 10 years ago
That is NOT what Mommy meant by wiping your hands, Elizabeth. (At least it wasn’t Michael; he would’ve scrubbed the wall himself after Ellie handing him the sponge and bucket of sudsy water.)
jemgirl81 almost 10 years ago
You can’t teach your child the proper way to wipe her hands Ellie?
arye uygur almost 10 years ago
Parents of young kids should not go out of their way to expects their homes to look like the photos in “Better Homes and Gardens.” Just relax and think of decorating or painting when the kids are older.
summerdog86 almost 10 years ago
I always ask for new carpet in “Dirt” color.
vldazzle almost 10 years ago
The house where I raised my 4 kids had a lovely carpet of mixed shades of brown when they were teens, and beige walls.
When we first moved there (in the 70s) the carpet was an avocado green, so I painted the walls a pale celery. The hallway to the bedrooms was a problem with fingerprints, so on the celery base color, I painted a row of trees (just trunks and branches, but with a suggestion of “leaves”). Those leaves might be about thumb print size and having that design on the walls as high as the children could conceivably reach made it much easier to spot clean fingerprints without leaving a line where I stopped.
I hope that helps some of you who still have little ones around.
MeGoNow Premium Member almost 10 years ago
Don’t know. Do you have anything resembling actual parenting?
Can't Sleep almost 10 years ago
Brilliant idea. Beat the kid for acting like a child.
Diat60 almost 10 years ago
Four kids. I’d start wiping fingerprints off by the sink, continue along the cabinets, through the doorway, along the wall to the stairs, up the stairs and into the bedrooms. I wore out more dishcloths than I could keep up with!
USN1977 almost 10 years ago
Another idea could have been for Elly to shout at Elizabeth about what she did; hand her the oil soap and sponge, then stand over her saying “You made this mess, you are not doing anything else until every last bit of goop is gone!” That is not to say that spanking does not serve a purpose to dissuade children from future bad behavior. Is there some law in Canada that outlaws corporal punishment? If so I would be interested to know how it is enforced, considering the US had regulations that prohibited anyone from drinking alcohol. Needless to say that failed miserably. I guess it all boils down to is what would Christ say about child discipline?
MermaidStitcher almost 10 years ago
I agree with USN1977 give her a rag and make her clean it up. Lizzie is old enough to openly defy her. She is old enough for the repercussions.
Fido (aka Felix Rex) Premium Member almost 10 years ago
You mean to say that she can’t be a smart kid? Academic excellence and connecting actions and consequences operate in different parts of the brain — and often different parts of the same brain.
yankeetexan almost 10 years ago
first mistake was to say to wipe your hands. Should have said WASH your hands… case would have been solved.
arye uygur almost 10 years ago
In my own apartment, I walk around with my hands to my sides to avoid getting finger prints on my walls and I only touch the door knobs themselves when I need to open and close a door. Have you ever seen the rims around the doorknob handles even when there are only adults?
sunchaunzo almost 10 years ago
Really, Elly. You should know by now. With kids you have to specify!!
danlarios almost 10 years ago
she’s just a kid
Florence Alpert Premium Member almost 10 years ago
For the time Ellie spent cleaning up the mess, it would have been better vested in following through with Elizabeth and see that she went into the lave to wash up. There’s a better chance that time spent will have a better return for both of them than to giving directions without reinforcement; Ellie will in the end be able to trust Elizabeth to become independent and Ellie for not spend timing cleaning up messes her kids will make. If only to have told her to “come show me your clean hands after you finish”. The messes only get bigger as they get older.
nmchris1 almost 10 years ago
I have been buying carpeting in the color of cat vomit for years. You should see the reaction I get when I ask for it. By the way, this is a comic strip, not real life, so ease off on the comments as to how Ellie should be raising her child.
Gokie5 almost 10 years ago
Some kids just have an evil streak, and no matter how or how much you teach them (or punish them), their dark side will come out sometimes. Once I went against my better judgment (which was screaming “NO! NO!” inside me) and read Shel Silverstein’s “Nasty School” to the seven-year-old grandchild because I thought she’d enjoy it and was mature enough not to act it out. I prefaced the reading with “We don’t REALLY do these things, do we?,” etc. Afterward she got a marker (permanent, I think), which we try to hide from her, and drew a big face on the gray living room rug (which used to be light blue). I had her scrub and scrub it with serious amounts of rug cleaner and numbers of brushes, but as far as I know, faint outlines of it are still there. If you want to see what not to read to a destructive type seehttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/books/review/nasty-school-and-other-poems-by-shel-silverstein.html?_r=0
nickel_penny almost 10 years ago
Because it’s so hard to hand your kid a napkin…
lindz.coop Premium Member almost 10 years ago
I think Elizabeth is old enough for a lesson in cleaning up her mess too.
HJBoehm almost 10 years ago
Of all of the people angry about this strip, how many of them can say that this, or similar situations, have never happened to them.1. Teach a kid to do right and they will still do wrong at times, some more than others2. It is a comic strip! Even Lynn has mentioned that, although a lot is based on real life, a good portion is based on what she would have done.3. What she did in real life might have been different than here. Why? Because this is a comic strip!! It is supposed to be exagerrated!