02-19-2018, 12:26 AM
You are in the "Maniuplation" phase of child rearing which lasts from perhaps age 3 until you die. Stand fast. Calm but polite. No is no.
Life is full of teachable moments. An explanation of "There will not be a rabbit in the house. Here is why... they are destructive to my recently remodeled home. Also your behavior will have consequences. If you keep pestering for one you will find yourself not going riding either. "
And... not knowing your situation, is there another parent participating in this discussion ? You MUST provide a common "no" or the manipulation becomes a wedge between you.
My youngest son was heard telling his older sister "If Mom and Dad get divorced I can get all kinds of stuff from them". Um. no. We'd been married for 34 years at that point. He was 18. So we decided to call his bluff. We called him into our room and told him we were getting a divorce, selling the house, and since he was 18 he would have to live on his own on his own money and would not get any support from either of us.
He freaked out. Once he was done screaming we both started laughing at him and clearly said "Then stop trying to get us to split up. We can't do without each other, but we sure as hell can do without YOU."
Life is full of teachable moments. An explanation of "There will not be a rabbit in the house. Here is why... they are destructive to my recently remodeled home. Also your behavior will have consequences. If you keep pestering for one you will find yourself not going riding either. "
And... not knowing your situation, is there another parent participating in this discussion ? You MUST provide a common "no" or the manipulation becomes a wedge between you.
My youngest son was heard telling his older sister "If Mom and Dad get divorced I can get all kinds of stuff from them". Um. no. We'd been married for 34 years at that point. He was 18. So we decided to call his bluff. We called him into our room and told him we were getting a divorce, selling the house, and since he was 18 he would have to live on his own on his own money and would not get any support from either of us.
He freaked out. Once he was done screaming we both started laughing at him and clearly said "Then stop trying to get us to split up. We can't do without each other, but we sure as hell can do without YOU."