Don't try to complain at our house!!

Do your kids complain?   Mine never do!!  Ok, I'm just kidding, but I wish they never did.  Mine complain over everything from breakfast to bedtime.   They complain over what's for breakfast.  Then they complain over what kind of cereal we have.  They complain when the last of the only cereal they like was eaten by another child.  Then the child who ate the last of the coveted cereal complains because they have to eat the last of the cereal, because it always has the crumbs.  they complain over where they sit, who they sit by, what bowl, spoon or cup they use, what they wear, the socks they are forced to wear.  Actually some of my kids complain about the socks matching when others complain that the socks do match, while one always complains that he has to wear them at all.  Someone has to always be complaining. 

So one day, I believe it was over summer vacation, when everyone was hot, bored and had months to build up lots of complaints, I finally snapped!!  That's right I did the unthinkable.  I started a new family rule!!  We call it the complaining face.

I'm sure that atleast one of my 3 kids who aren't in this picture
will complain.  Sorry that's what you get for sleeping in!!

This is how it works.  If you are going to drive me crazy with stupid complaints, you must be doing the complaining face.   It actually works.  They are usually very angry when I say, "complaining face or I'm not listening!"  They always start out by proving to me that they are serious.  So they pull the stupid face and then try really hard to complain.  Which they can't do.  They start to laugh.  Some of my more talented kids who are complaining experts might actually get a complaint out with little to no laughing.  As hard as they try it still doesn't work, because I'm laughing so hard at how silly they look that we all end up laughing. Then those children who weren't complaining all join in the laughing and practice the complaining face which only causes more laughter.

I think everyone should start it.  I think I've found the solution to world peace.  Can  you imagine the up coming presidential race?  Would we choose the president by who pulled the best complaining face or perhaps who pulled it least? The possibilities are endless.  I'm sure I'll never see anyone else outside my family use the complaining face, but it sure has made complaining in my family a little more bearable.