bickering and tale tellingis driving me demented!

[reikizen]

Any advice please on how to deal with 2 5yo girls who essentially like each other but argue, bicker and tell tales constantly. One or the other is usually in tears and it is driving me demented. They are not related, 1 is my dd and the other her friend I am minding. I can't be alone surely?

[misshardbroom]

I have this fairly often with my own children because there's only a year between each of them. At the moment it's the 4 y.o who's the biggest tell tale.

I think sometimes you have to divide and conquer. If they aren't getting on, I'd set up separate activities in separate rooms and give them a break from each other.

The other thing is that children of this age often don't understand what 'tale-telling' is. For example, on lots of occasions I've seen DS1 approaching and said 'I don't want to hear this if it's a tale', only for him to say 'But it's not a tale, it really happpened...'

More often than not I hear myself saying 'You can come and tell me if someone is bleeding or unconscious, otherwise I don't want to know'.

Awful, really. Yet strangely effective.

[mrshibbins]

.... "More often than not I hear myself saying 'You can come and tell me if someone is bleeding or unconscious, otherwise I don't want to know' "

ha! I like it! i'm going to try this on SD (8) who incessantly tells tales

[reikizen]

Yep, that sounds good, I am going to try that too. This morning they are being suspiciously calm and quiet, so I am staying out of the way!!

[notnowbernard]

MIL used to say to her 3 DC -

"Am not interested until I can see blood"

[Littlefish]

I say "is your name in the story you are about to tell me".

It makes them stop and think - I honestly don't think children always realise that they are telling tales, and need to have it pointed out.