My kids like to call each other names. That really grates on me because as one throws a name at the other, the offended will be ever ready to respond on a grander scale. It may start with a simple word like "Monster" that can morphed into "You stupid, ugly, smelly, (what have you)...Monster".
Do you get the picture?
When they were younger and fighting over toys to play with I was able to stop them by asking one or the other, "What's In Your Balloon?". This was to remind them about the story I had told them before that when they fought, it was just like something nasty in their balloons bursting high up in the air and splattering gooey stuff all over the place and on anyone close by. And Mummy will be upset because she is always on their hit list.
Now that they are older, to stop one from being goaded to call the other names, I asked, "Are you the Botak (Bald Headed) King?". The idea came from a fairy tale I read as a kid and have shared with them.
It was about a king in India who enjoyed hearing jokes. He had the heads of his jesters chopped off if their jokes were not amusing. Soon there was only one jester left in his kingdom.
As the jester was very sure that he was doomed to die, he started insulting the king. He called the King a stupid man and to his surprise the king started laughing. He said that the King was the ugliest man in the kingdom and he laughed till tears roll down his cheeks. Encouraged by the king's laughter, the jester continued throwing more insults at him.
However, when he said that the king was so bald that he could see his reflection on his head, the king jumped up in anger and told his guards to have him behead. Surprised, the jester requested the king to explain why he was not offended by the insults he had piled earlier.
The king unwind his turban to show his shinny pate and said, "None of the insults you said of me earlier were true".
So, the question, "Are you the Botak (Bald Headed) King?", reminds them that, there must be some truth in what have been said if they are upset over it. Try that story on your children to see if it works for you too.
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