The whiny thread

[charliechaplinfan]

I've got a whine, 2 children 10 and 7 left with the puppy for an hour whilst I went to bed full of a virus, they watched TV and didn't keep an eye on Lara, she chewed through a cable and has been at the vets today, she has to go back tomorrow possibly for Xrays and an op to remove bits of cable, we have to hope that she has an upset tum and not anything else. After telling the kids about what they'd done and impressing on them how much like a baby she is and how she needs watching every minute, they leave her alone with the Xmas tree to chew up two baubles. Is it me? 10 and 7 isn't that young but they just don't get it, it's not that they don't care.

Sorry for whining but the kids listen but don't assimilate the information.

[movieman1957]

The problem with some children and their pets is that they are so much fun when playing but taking care of them is something different.

I'm not sure they think about it or don't understand the full scope of what you mean.

Good luck.

[CineMaven]

Alison, I don't need to tell you what my parents would have done to me. I'm sorry about the vet bill and Lara being ill and uncomfortable.

[charliechaplinfan]

Nothing is more important to them than their furry friends, especially Lara but it just doesn't click with them, I really was on my last legs or else I wouldn't have left her. It could be a virus since we visited my in laws on Saturday and their dog had been sick for 2 days but they didn't think to ring us to tell us not to bring Lara. Families, sometimes they're just the hardest people to understand. Not a great day on lots of levels, I hada doctors appointment and my parents were having my kids plus some kids I look after after school but they forgot and I had to rush to the docs at the last minute feeling like a very ruffled Maria Von Trapp.

My parents would have done the same as yours Teresa, no doubt about it, so why can't I? I'm just hoping the guilt will be enough.

[Professional Tourist]

charliechaplinfan, when the children don't do what they are supposed to do, what they are old enough to be able to do so that the requests are known to be reasonable, give them one warning. When they continue to misbehave or shirk their responsibility then punish them. I don't mean to hit them, but to discipline them such as by taking away privileges or go to bed without supper for one night. Things like that may help them to "remember" next time. And if they still don't remember next time, then a sterner punishment is in order, perhaps to increase their chores around the house or no allowance (pocket money) for a few weeks. Eventually they are going to remember to do what they must do, but if they still don't do it, then tougher measures may be in order -- such as no pets until they are willing and able to take care of them. Tough love -- they'll be better people for it later in life. Think about it, anyway.

[charliechaplinfan]

Thanks PT, we do all this kind of stuff, they lose pocket money, privileges, they go to bed early, they get sent to their room etc and it's not that they're not sorry, they are but they get caught up in doing something else and forget that they should be minding the dog. This time they have been shocked and I don't doubt their love for their animals and to think she may be operated on has done more than any punishment we could dream up, they are chastened now they realise the consequences but with the Christmas tree now up and the decorations she'll be under adult supervision only, there's just too many new things to explore. She is like having another infant in the house but she has fur and is more exciteable.

Thankfully, it's been a reaction to food or a virus rather than an obstruction, we were lucky and now I'm on poo watch (sorry everyone) once she's been again then I'm out of the woods.

It amuses me that when you have a baby I became obsessed with what was going in one end and coming out the other and it appears it's the same with a dog.

[knitwit45]

Have you thought of putting the tree in a playpen? We did this when the kids were little, then again when we had puppies in the house. Not sure what you call them in England, they are like cribs, usually square, sit on the floor, keep crawlers out of harms way, while Mum does house work ( or just needs a quick break)

[CineMaven]

"Fifty Shades of Lara"
by Alison CharlieChaplinFan.

CHAPTER 1 - POO WATCH

I see a book of short stories or essays by you Alison. There are lots of animal lovers out there who can appreciate the little scrapes that happen in your household with puppy and kids. It'd be a very endearing best seller with illustrations.

...AND I want my very own autographed copy too.

START WRITING.

[RedRiver]

This is kind of scary. I don't have anybody to watch my dog when I'm not available. Sugar is alone on the house all day. She doesn't chew things and I hope she doesn't start. I hate to admit this, but when I was about 15, I was taking care of my baby sister. I let her walk across the street and into the neighbor's yard! I forgot I was supposed to be watching her. No harm was done. But she could have been killed. I had ADD before we knew what it was!

[charliechaplinfan]

We have playpens Nancy, thankfully the tree is in the lounge and she can't go in there without a person, make that adult with her but we might have to resort to it.

Poo watch worked, she went at tea time, thank goodness and she loves boiled chicken and rice, she's never eaten as much. Poo watch, no kidding, I thought I'd been there done that with the kids but it seems having kids was only the start of it. Thankfully cat toilet outside so I haven't got the chance to obsess about their stools. Lara is now bouncing around playing tug of war with the kids. She didn't appreciate the way her temperature was taken but she's such a sweet nature she didn't fuss, whereas is someone did that to me when I wasn't expecting it, I'd at least have a good grumble. Oh my and this is meant to be a forum about films, trust an English maiden to bring things down to the lowest level

Red, I think I'm understanding, I think the world of kids they know that things can happen but that it happens to other people and wouldn't happen on their watch whereas adults are obsessed by safety and what can go wrong and will go wrong.

[JackFavell]

Didn't we have a thread about grammar and writing skills somewhere? I can't find it. I wasn't sure where else to post this, maybe pet peeves or whiny?

But anyway, did anyone else read this description on the TCM sched today?

9:30 PM

Maverick Queen, The (1956)


A female outlaw leader lead a reign of terror until infiltrated by a lawman.

Dir: Joe Kane Cast: Barbara Stanwyck , Barry Sullivan , Scott Brady .

C-90 mins, TV-PG,


OK, there are SO many things wrong with this that I don't even think I have to point them out. But now I'm scared of being infiltrated!

[RedRiver]

Make sure he takes precautions!

[JackFavell]

lol!

[charliechaplinfan]

Oh no, ne of my pet peeves too.

we've just come back from the inlaws, we took one of Libby's presents Bananagrams, I can only describe it as similar to scrabble but you take 21 letters and try to use all your letters in words connected like a scrabble board, if you can't finish you put one back and pick three up, no points for the letter, you win if you finish first, there are varieties of the game. Chris's father, the family know it all argued with us all that there was no such word as soy, not in his dictionary yet three of us found it on our phones. Well that's what's wrong with modern games, people inventing words then putting them into usage, it ruins sportsmanship. Then he reckoned there was a bird called a 'shite' there isn't and more's the fact that if the kids school had a lesson about birds and they named a 'shite' I'd be in the headmistresses office for use of rude words. All to beat a ten year old at bananagrams. Families are great fun.

Then there's my mother who we took to Christmas mass and thought our church was very avante garde for having a goat in the manger, well, if she would wear her glasses she'd see it was a donkey.

[knitwit45]

Oh, Alison, your life is better than anything on TV!!!!! A donkey.....oh my, how do you keep a straight face???