Would it be OK if I throttled them just a little bit??

This afternoon was one of those days that makes me think it may have been a whole lot easier to just buy some trained monkeys rather than having kids, they were making me crazy. I think that maybe they forgot to "exercise the crazy out" this morning or something, but the result was that we missed the bus home and had to wait for an extra 1/2 hour and they didn't get to go to a friends house after school.

A word of wisdom my father once told me was to never threaten your children with a punishment that you wouldn't carry through on and I have always kept that in mind, especially when they are making me crazy and my inclination is to dream up some bizarre and complex punishment for them.

As usual after school, we head to the playground as it is 20 minutes before the bus comes. Also as usual, 5 minutes before we need to leave, I asked them to get out of the sandpit and get their shoes on. Apparently their ears were broken. I got the impression that it was a school wide epidemic today as there were a number of mum's with exasperated looks on their faces whilst they tried to coax their progeny out of the playground. Many a "come on, we have to get to swimming" was heard yelled across the yard, more than once. The thing is, I have this 3 strikes policy, if I ask them to do something 3 times and it doesn't get done, then they get in trouble. I think today they got 3 lots of 3 and in the end they got the "if you don't do it now, you will not go to (insert friend's name here)'s place tonight for a play"....still, no movement, at least not in the direction I wanted.

When I finally got them to pay attention, they were full of remorse, but by that time it was too late for them. Luckily I am immune to the pleas of 2 very insistent little girls as they tried the whole way home:
"but what if I be good for the rest of the night" - possible, but unlikely
"but I will make my bed and tidy up my room" - as if!!
"I promise I will never not listen to you again" - HA!!

When we got home, PJ had to call her friend and apologise for not being able to come over and then they had to clean up all their toys in the lounge room. Lesson learned...for tonight, not forever :)