Works For Me: That'll Teach 'Em

My tip for today is actually not my own; it was offered by a reader, Liz C.  It is so stinkin' brilliant (and hilarious) I had to share it with all of you.  Add this to your repetoire next time the kids are being sassy:

If the kids can't use a civil tone, they get "grounded" to speaking in a British accent all day. If they're still struggling to be decent, they're grounded to singing everything. And one day, they were on it so bad, they weren't allowed to speak unless they could sing in RHYME.

(This wouldn't work for you British girls.  Maybe you could make your kids speak in an American accent, if your ears could stand it all day.)

Leave your clever WFMW tips below, and be sure to check in with the guidelines here first.  Remember to link directly to your WFMW post, not to the front page of your blog. 

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Comments

[Jill]

This is a fabulous tip. I can't wait until my kids get older and I can try it on them. Maybe we could do a Southern accent :)

[phyllis]

i *love* this tip! it is so awesome. i can't wait to implement it in my own house. ha...lol...my kiddo will be british-ing all over the place!

[Lisa @ The Preacher's Wife]

Hilarious - we are so stinkin' southern, I don't know that we could manage anything remotely sounding British..:)

[Anne Glamore]

Oops- will try again - forgot subject matter!

[Elise]

Sorry - I forgot to tell you what mine was! :) It's a tip for making the door latches quieter in your house for sleeping babies.

I love your tip for sassy kids - my kids forget what they're cranky about when I break out the accents!

[Sarah @ Real Life]

We already sing everything! I'm a voice teacher! I'll have to try the accents, though.

[Karen@FamilyBriefs]

I just LOVE this tip! We have some sassiness issues in our household - especially our 7yo. I think he could handle talking in an accent or a rhyme. Singing might put him over the top. I can't wait to try this out!

Thanks for the tip and for being the wonderful host that you are - short hair and all (btw, I have pretty short hair too & I think your cut looks cute. I would like to see the BEFORE shot, though :)

[ellen b]

Brilliant idea. I think it should be used on adults with potty mouth, too!!!

[WorksForMom]

Oh my, this truly is GENIUS! I can't wait to try this someday too! I might start with my husband now! :)

[Smockity Frocks]

Thank you, Shannon. (I said that with a British accent.)

[An Ordinary Mom]

I think this would also bring more laughter and more of a light-hearted spirit to the home. That would definitely help ease the contention =) !!

[Lynnae @ From Under the Clutter]

I love it! I'm going to try it! :)

[Overwhelmed With Joy!]

What a cute tip, I love it! :)

[bee]

Oh, that's good! I think I'll use it at work, too!

[loralee]

When my children are so upset with each other that the simultaneously scream at me "Listen to what THEY DID!!!" I have the perfect solution.

I make them SING it. Yup. I don't think more than about 8 measures have ever passed before they are laughing at each other.

What can I say? I sing opera. Do what you know, right?

[Pink Jeweled Cat]

That's an absolutely HILARIOUS tip! I may have to give it a whirl with my two oldest boys, just for smiles and giggles. Ta for now dahling!

[spaghettipie]

Okay, it's 21 minutes into Wednesday, and SERIOUSLY, I'm number 58? You all are some kinda early birds!

Love the tip, by the way. Now if I can just figure out how to teach my 2-year-old to speak with a British accent. . .

[mummymac]

That's really funny - we're so British and our Northern Ireland accents are a law unto themselves!!

We think we're acting Americans if we just say y'all alot!!

I just don't think it would be punishment though!!

[Jenny (Back Woods Wife)]

Hilarious! Although in our house this would have passed for fun not punishment most days. :)

[KarenDV]

That is a funny idea. Perhaps I'll try it today, though I have my doubts it will work for us...

[Rachel Anne]

Brilliant, simply brilliant. Although, my girls spent most of their childhood pretending they actually had English accents....

[Melanie]

Kudos to Liz! This is a riot. Imagine a teacher using it in the classroom! (Not that she could.)Oh, the sounds that would echo down the hall.

[alli]

My best friend hates her sons whining and makes him talk to her like a monster.

[Eva]

Ooh, what a fun idea. It would, however, make my kids cry. And that might not be so fun. Maybe I'd change it so that *I* would be the one talking to them in a British accent. They'd get annoyed, but at least they wouldn't cry. And I'd have fun.

[Deb - Mom of 3 Girls]

Oh that's hilarious! I think I'll have to wait until my kids are a bit older (and know what a British accent is, LOL) before I try it though. :)

[Tracy]

It's a cute idea - but it won't work well here. My daughter already loves to talk in a British accent anytime she can get away with it, and as for singing - the girl was singing before she could walk... Hmmm, but I see variations on a theme here. :-D.

[Kris]

Great picture of you!

[MommaBlogger]

I love it! That's such a great idea! I'd have to teach them to speak in a British accent though, which could prove difficult. I like the having to sing or rhyme though. It would probably work for my oldest ones at least.

My 4yo, who likes to talk a lot, loudly, is probably going to get the "raise your hand before you speak" rule implemented on him. The boy can't be quiet for anything! (see this post: http://homemakersguidetothegalaxy.blogspot.com/2007/10/would-muzzle-be-too-much-or-should-i.html)

I'm going to have to come up with something soon!

[Amy]

Oh, I can't wait until I can do this kind of stuff to my kids ;)

[SAHMmy Says]

Great idea! Just last night I was getting tired of my 3 year old's whines of "I don't wanna!" So I said, "No more 'don't'" He says, "Then I'm not gonna!" I said, "No more 'not!'" He said, "Then No!" I said, "No more 'no!'" He started repeating, "No don't, no not, no no!" over and over in the voice of the little French Pea guys from Veggie Tales! We cracked up and the mood was lifted :)

[Katrina (Callapidder Days)]

Oh my goodness - I love this tip. It might be just what I need when that 9-year-old sass sneaks out.

[Laura @ Laura Williams' Musings]

Funny! I should try that with mine. lol

Mine is up at http://laurawilliamsmusings.blogspot.com/2007/10/wfmw-grocery-shopping-lists-coupons.html

[Jamie]

I am loving your tip!!! I am gonna try that puppy out!! Thanks for always being such a gracious hostess of WFMW!!

[Laura @ Laura Williams' Musings]

Funny! I should try that with mine. lol

Mine is up at http://laurawilliamsmusings.blogspot.com/2007/10/wfmw-grocery-shopping-lists-coupons.html

[Kelli]

Hahaha! That's hilarious...although I don't know about it working for a sassy 3 year old. I'll have to file that one.

[MyStarbucks]

I can just see my 14 year old struggling to talk with a British accent all day after mouthing off. What a fabulous idea!

[Michal]

I read this thread every week, and finally decided to share something. I forgot when I posted to add that my tip was on non toxic Orange Cleaner. My link only says my name: Michal. Doh! I'm so disappointed as I really wanted people to read mine because I feel so strongly about this subject. LOL Anyhoo, next time I'll get it right. Thanks for running this show. It's awesome and very helpful. .

[Emily]

I had friends who grew up with a similar rule. If they were going to be arguing, it had to be in operatic voices (when they were younger) and Shakespeare-speak when they got older.

They still argued, but they always ended up giggling instead of sniping.

[Nikki]

Awesome tip! I can't wait to tell my hubby.

[kelli]

Jonathan is quit hooked on all things British, and tries (quite badly, I might say) to constantly talk like a Brit. Maybe I'll punish him to talk like an Australian or something.

LOL

[Karen @ Simply A Musing Blog]

Ooh...I'm going to remember this...lol. I am going to suggest she do an Australian accent. I love it!

[Barbara H. @ Stray Thoughts]

That would make for either a very quiet day or a fun one. :-)

[Angela]

Thought i'd join in the fun and add how I get my recycling to the curb!

[Lauren Christine]

Hee hee. I'll have to remember this one.

[Alexandra]

Wow, so many helpful tips this week! I've got to get busy reading. Thanks Shannon.

[Liz C]

Oh, the British accents they're using are not GOOD ones... :) Sometimes I "ground" them to really bad French accents, too.

Our oldest daughter, now 11, has been playing in a British accent since she was about two years old. It's her "alternate persona" for play purposes, and that persona tends to be a very pleasant one, so making her switch over to it helped.

And we like musicals.

So, it's all very naturally-occuring and warped around here. One of my good friends is British, and she just about fell over giggling the first time she heard the children on a "grounded" day.

Glad it will bring relief and semi-sanity on really whiny days for some of you. I love reading Shannon's blog and am tickled to be able to contribute!

[polly]

Super tip! of course, as a child I always spoke in a British accent just to be funny, and we have British relatives, so I'm not sure...perhaps we could try a northern accent, since we're here in the south! :) I love the singing idea--esp singing OPERA-style!

[Kim]

I think my 10 yr old would love this too much for it to be a deterrent!

Fun idea though.

[Mrs. Pear]

Oh, too funny!

I will have to remember this when our daughter is older!

[frugalmom]

This is my first time posting a tip!

[Angela Pridgen]

Interesting tip, however, my 5yr old thinks it is fun to "sing" everything!

This was my first time posting a tip...hope they get better as time goes on!

[Qtpies7]

Oh, that IS genious!!!! I may have to do that one. It is right up our alley.

[Kara]

That is hilarious! I really enjoy reading your blog. You have a great writer's "voice".

[Christy]

How funny! My mom used to make us wash the sliding glass door, one of us on each side so we had to look at eachother the whole time. :0) Coincidentally she was from England and had a British accent.

[JCK]

This is SO fun, Shannon! Ohhh, thanks for the great idea, Liz C.! I'll have to store this one for future usage as I have preschoolers, although I'm always DESPERATE for discipline ideas!

Right now I'm working hard to get BOY & GIRL to ARTICULATE. We're transplanted Southerners to California, so hopefully they won't grow up saying things to their children like, "Y'all DUDE, getcha' RIGHTEOUS little beHIND over HEAH, Like, oh my GOD, or I'm a'fixin' to bless y'all out, Fer shur, DUDE!"

Mmmm, maybe that could be said with a British accent. Something to think about!

[MacKenzie]

It's late, but technically it is still Wednesday. And I'm gonna have to remember your tip for when I have kids.

[ThoughtfulMom]

Hey - what kind of Okie are you? You said "all of you!" What happened to "all ya'll?" :)

[ThoughtfulMom]

I hit post too quickly. I wanted to say that this suggestion is hilarious and I AM sticking it in my arsonal, and I'm sending three friends over to read it for themselves. :)

[Becca]

Too funny! And perfect timing because my dd is hitting pre-teen-land and just starting using an attitude with us within the past two weeks. I'm definately going to try this!

[Faerylandmom]

That. Is. Awesome.

[TulipGirl]

*L* This is great. I shared it as a "playful parenting" tip over at Mothering By Grace.

(Btw, you might like Cohen's book "Playful Parenting.")