How to Deal with Little Brothers and Sisters Who Want to Play
Stay calm., Ignore him/her as long as you can stand., Suggest they go and get something to eat or drink., Tell him/her in a firm and steady voice that you don't want to play., Move their interest elsewhere., Send them to bed., Start to play and then...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Stay calm.
If your little sibling is whining and asking you to play, stay as calm as you can; getting angry with them or shouting at them will make them tearful and they are likely to run off to your parents and complain.
Sometimes they will be so upset that you will have to give in to them and nobody feels happy. -
Step 2: Ignore him/her as long as you can stand.
This might get him/her bored and then he/she will go away. , If they do, they might forget that they were bothering you about something. , Make it clear to them that behaving like that only makes you less likely to want to spend time with them. , Get them interested in something else that they can play by themselves.
For example, suggest to them "Wouldn't you rather see 'The Lion King' DVD?" or, "How would you like me to set up your computer game?" or "Why don't you go and count the clouds and see what shapes you can make?" or "How about coloring? You love coloring!"
If they are young enough, send them for an early nap.
Be prepared for complaints though! , Begin playing with them, then say you need to go to the bathroom, and just simply "forget" to return to the game once you're done.
Another way to make them sick of it is to play the game really quickly or make the rules very difficult all of a sudden (for example, tell them that they have to sit very still for five minutes before they can have a turn).
This will result in their attention wandering to something more exciting. , Make them cater to you.
This will usually result in them wanting to play something else quickly! , Offer to play a game that they really like either straight away or later (depending on how you feel), as long as they let you play your game without them.
This will give them some of your attention and it will let them get over their need to spend time with you. -
Step 3: Suggest they go and get something to eat or drink.
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Step 4: Tell him/her in a firm and steady voice that you don't want to play.
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Step 5: Move their interest elsewhere.
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Step 6: Send them to bed.
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Step 7: Start to play and then disappear.
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Step 8: Offer to play 'King/Queen of the World and the Obedient Slave'.
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Step 9: Make a compromise.
Detailed Guide
If your little sibling is whining and asking you to play, stay as calm as you can; getting angry with them or shouting at them will make them tearful and they are likely to run off to your parents and complain.
Sometimes they will be so upset that you will have to give in to them and nobody feels happy.
This might get him/her bored and then he/she will go away. , If they do, they might forget that they were bothering you about something. , Make it clear to them that behaving like that only makes you less likely to want to spend time with them. , Get them interested in something else that they can play by themselves.
For example, suggest to them "Wouldn't you rather see 'The Lion King' DVD?" or, "How would you like me to set up your computer game?" or "Why don't you go and count the clouds and see what shapes you can make?" or "How about coloring? You love coloring!"
If they are young enough, send them for an early nap.
Be prepared for complaints though! , Begin playing with them, then say you need to go to the bathroom, and just simply "forget" to return to the game once you're done.
Another way to make them sick of it is to play the game really quickly or make the rules very difficult all of a sudden (for example, tell them that they have to sit very still for five minutes before they can have a turn).
This will result in their attention wandering to something more exciting. , Make them cater to you.
This will usually result in them wanting to play something else quickly! , Offer to play a game that they really like either straight away or later (depending on how you feel), as long as they let you play your game without them.
This will give them some of your attention and it will let them get over their need to spend time with you.
About the Author
Larry Price
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow home improvement tutorials.
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