the hose incident

You know that moment when you realize that your house is very, very quiet and it shouldn't be? Someday that quiet might mean that my children have found quiet activities to engage in, like putting together puzzles or looking at books. Right now, however, silence means that my children are engaged in an activity that they know they shouldn't be engaged in. It could be squeezing toothpaste into the toilet or pulling their curtains down and using the rods as swords. It could be coloring every toy they can reach with a black marker or throwing baby powder around the room. The possibilities are endless and awful.
So of course, last Thursday when I realized that I could no longer hear the boys playing outside, I assumed something was going on. I didn't even make it to the door before Truett came running around the corner of the house soaking wet and crying. I asked him what happened and he told me that Jem had shot him in the eye with water from the hose. I ushered Tru into the house and told him to sit down while I went out to find Jem. I met him coming around the side of the house, also a little wet. When I asked him what was going on, he told me that they were playing with the hose. I said, "Do you think it was a good idea to play with the hose without asking me?"
Jem assured me that the only reason they didn't ask me is that they knew I would say yes. What?! I think he might have been hopped up on sugar or high on life or something to come up with that. I told him, in no uncertain terms, that he was not allowed to play with the hose without permission. And then, as we continued to walk towards the hose, I ran through all of my discipline options in my head. I could:

a. tell him that they were never, ever allowed to play with water again, ever
b. have him apologize to his brother and then sit in a time-out
c. make the hose less appealing

I went with option c. I made him stand on the walkway while I sprayed him with the hose. At first, he seemed to think it was a big joke but quickly changed his mind. Eventually, he took off running, at which point I called him back and sprayed him again. I was trying to follow the whole "let the punishment fit the crime" thing and it seemed pretty effective. I was a little bit concerned about what our neighbors might have thought but then I got over that. He wasn't hurt by it and suddenly the hose became much less appealing. Mission accomplished.

photo by: photorhapsody  http://www.flickr.com/photos/52817760@N03/6956694772/