Wednesday, November 12, 2008

I need Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle.

We recently read Betty MacDonald's Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle as a bedtime read-aloud, and #2 loved it.. Each chapter is a story of a family that is dealing with a particular character flaw in one or more children. The only problem with the book was that it was almost too funny for bedtime - once #2 had The Giggles, they spread until #3 and #4 were no longer calm and ready for sleep.

My favorite chapter was "The Radish Cure," which dealt with the desire to throw a fit at bathtime (not a problem in my house, but that's probably what made it quite so funny to me). Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle suggested that the parents just let the kid get dirty until the layer of dirt was thick enough to plant radish seeds while the kid slept. The morning that the little girl in question sprouted radishes, she decided to take a bath - and after that, bathtime was fun again.

So, from a homeschooling/parenting standpoint, I'm wondering how I can and if I should incorporate Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle casually into habit-training and character education. It's an interesting idea. We've started reading another Mrs. P-W volume that has a couple of kids with problems that we have in this house, so maybe I'll give it a try.

As a desperate mom, I need Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle (or someone who, you know, exists) to give me an idea for how to stop the flow of whine around here. #2 is whining about every single instruction that he's given, and it's about to drive this mama 'round the bend. And now I'm whining about the whining - but really, folks, I just need an idea.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I need to look for this book. Thanks for the recommendation! :D

Whining is a no-no here. I will tell them, "You're whining and you need ask again." Sometimes I make them go sit on the stairs and wait a few minutes to ask w/out whining.

A&EMom said...

I play like I can't hear/understand whining. It can be a difficult game to play when you're focused on fourteen bajillion other things - which is why, coincidentally, I usually get whined at.

You've probably already tried it, but just in case you've forgotten what Willy Wonka taught us, there you go.

Unknown said...

We love Mrs. Piggle Wiggle in our house too! Yay for great books!