From enemies to buddies, just. like. that!

Following in my sister's footsteps and reposting and oldy but goody.  (Original post 9/2008.)  Enjoy!

Why can siblings be so MEAN to each other? I am talking crazy mean! Pulling hair, scratching, biting, smacking, pushing, need I say more? Cause I can. My sisters might try to tell you I should already know cause I was a meanie myself, but I wasn't and so I just don't get it.
Naughty kid #1: Hey, that is mine, I had it first! MOM!
Naughty kid #2: Yeah but you put it down.
Naughty kid #1: So! That doesn't mean I was done! Now GIVE it back!
Yadda, yadda, yadda. I'll spare you the rest of the hub bub cause frankly it is no fun for anyone. Basically it comes to something like this...

...and I am left to figure out who the thing belongs to. Do I give it to the favorite kid (JK, I REALLY don't have a favorite kid, really) or do I take it and keep it for myself (especially if is like an Oreo or something), or do I just ignore it and let them fight it out? Do I really need advice on this? No, because I have learned a trick. I kind of came across it by accident one fight. It went a little something like this:
"...but mom! I had it first!" "No I did!" "No I did!" "Mom tell her to give it back!"
When ignoring it could go on no more and my blood was boiling hot, I might have pealed off the mask of the nice mom and put on the one of the mean mom. With stomping, growling and words that were not so gentle I might have said,
" Here! Give me that darn thing (except I probably didn't say darn) and get up to your beds right now! I have had enough of all this bickering. Go now! "
If you know me when I put my mean mom face on, you might can imagine the the shear terror on their faces as they run for their lives and for their rooms. Then if you were a fly on the wall in their room you might hear something like this.
"Mom is mean huh?" {sniff, sniff}
"Yeah she is really mean."
"I don't like her anymore, do you?"
"No, not really."
"I am bored. Want to play?"
"Yeah, what do you want to play?"
"I don't know, why don't you chose?"

And that is where I say... mission accomplished.
Disclaimer: With your newfound peace, it might be tempting to forget about them in their rooms leave them there forever a long while, but if you do, you will miss out on the beauty of children and their ever forgiving hearts. They don't really hate me. They still need food and and clean clothes and a bed to sleep in...