backseat bickering, and if it continues, something is going to happen.”
Consider the following for kids who are in grade school:
Lance was ready for anything his backseat warriors could hit him with
one morning. He had rehearsed his lines and even brought a paperback
with him to kill the time he expected to be wasting on the trip.
Right on schedule, his kids started going at each other in the backseat.
Lance stopped the car, turned very calmly around, and said, “You know,
guys, I think the hard thing about being cooped up in a tiny car like this is
that the oxygen level in your blood gets low and then you get irritated and
fight. But if you can get out of the car and replenish it, things always get
better. Why don’t you guys get out of the car and work your problem out
and replenish your oxygen level at the same time? I’ll just drive ahead
and wait for you.”
As protection for his kids, Lance added, “Now, if you don’t walk too
close to the cars going down the street, and if you stay on the sidewalk,
I’m sure you’ll be safe and you won’t get hit.”
Then he drove up the street several blocks to a place where his kids
could see him, parked the car, and read his book. He could see them
jawing at each other and getting on each other’s case as they walked. But
as they neared the car, they got better and better. By the time they got to
the car, they were calm.
As one child reached for the door handle and started to open the door,
the other jumped in front and the war resumed. So Lance pulled up
another few blocks and parked there to read his book. When his kids got
there, they were in pretty good shape.
Now whenever he drives down the road and his kids start to get rowdy,
he simply says, “Hey, guys, are you needing to replenish the oxygen
supply?” and his kids pipe down right away.
Here’s another idea for handling backseat bickering:
Stacey called her best friend one evening to explain her problem and
ask for a favor: “Can you follow my car on Saturday morning at 11:30
and just do a little FBI surveillance for me? Stay a few car lengths back.
When we get to Third and Main, I’m sure I’m going to be throwing a
lu
(lu)
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