NOVEMBER '23 - GOOD NEWS issue to publish online | Page 41

Ask Greta

Dear Greta ,
I am the mother of two boys , ages 5 and 7 . They are normally very good kids , except when I get on the phone . I work remotely from home and need to spend a lot of time on the telephone making appointments , placing orders , and so on . Every time I get on the phone , they start screaming and demanding things , like " Mommy , get me a drink ," or " Mommy , color with me !" I tell them to wait and beg them to leave me alone but they just won ' t stop . I have tried everything I can think of to get them to respect my phone time and nothing has worked . Do you have any suggestions ?
- Hassled Mom
Dear Hassled ,
It doesn ' t sound like your boys are any different than most kids . You have to remember what all kids want : all of mom ' s attention . Your children are old enough to know how to behave , so tell them how you expect them to act . Tell them that you need to talk on the phone to do your job so you can buy them the things they want and need , like toys , clothes , and food . Unless it ' s very important , they are to be quiet and polite . It might be helpful to also schedule specific times for activities with them . Then , if they still disregard your rules , take away one of their privileges , like TV for a day , time on the computer , or something else they enjoy . Be firm and good luck !
Mail your questions to Greta at : “ Good News ” P . O . Box 99 , Avis PA 17721 , or email them to : goodnews @ kcnet . org .

Thought For The Day

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- John F . Kennedy

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