How would YOU have handled this?

[Guest guest]

OK all you mothers of younger kids out there, ...input please.

Admittedly I am not Yoel and Zvi (5 and 8 respectively)'s mum, I'm

their Grandma. Does it make it different? Maybe.

Yoel and Zvi are staying with me till tomorrow. They're behaving OK

(ish..)..Yoel the younger is a bit defiant and keeps putting on a

stupid sheepish grin as he refuses to do as I want, that sort of

thing..I'm sure you're all familiar with it.

Tonight they were both roughhousing in the lounge as I sat reading in

the kitchen waiting for sabbath to end..and Tzvi ran in and out

telling on Yoel. Obviously I didn't take very much notice, so he

decided to really slam it on. Next trip in he said to me:

" Yoel says you're so heavy, you're heavier than the carpet. "

(as you all know I'm overweight and it's a subject I do get hurt

about).

At the time I said nothing at all, but it did hurt a lot. Later on,

as I was putting them to bed, I took Zvi aside and said:

" You know what you said to me earlier, about Yoel saying I was heavy?

Well, whether he said it or not, it was unkind of YOU to pass it on to

me. It hurt my feelings and that's not nice. "

His turn for a sheepish grin, but he nodded his understanding, and

when I asked him if he was sorry he said yes.

Would anyone have done anything differently?

Ruthie