Nanny McPhee | VIVIAN KIRKFIELD – Writer for Children

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Do you have siblings? Do you remember fighting with them when you were children?

I can remember back when my older sister and I were growing up. Because she was older, she had “more stylish” clothes…and I was JEALOUS. So, after she had gone to school, I would wear one of her sweater sets. Of course, it didn’t fit me the way it fit her…I was younger and a little chubby and so I stretched out the knitted fabric. How angry at me she was when she got home…and deservedly so! We would get into a fight…she would yell and push me…I would strike back…grabbing her hand and bending her finger back. OUCH!!!! Then she would hit me and I would cry and our mother would come in to see what was going on. My sister would be scolded and sometimes spanked and I would run to my bed and cry. When my mom would come to ask me why I was crying, I would tell her that I didn’t want my sister to be punished….and I really didn’t. I just wanted to be able to wear the nicer clothing. 🙂

It seems to be the “natural order” of things…TO FIGHT FOR ATTENTION, TO FIGHT TO GET WHAT WE WANT, TO FIGHT TO KEEP WHAT IS OURS.

If we look around the world, we see that there is fighting going on some level in almost every corner of the world…and this has been going on since forever.

What is it about mankind? Are we made this way? Can we not help ourselves? Is there no alternative?

I am not going to debate this issue on a global level. There are enough people doing that already. So I will stick to relating it to parenting.

Can parents issue a NO FIGHTING rule at home and expect to see it carried out?

I believe so.

Perhaps the success of this rule will hinge on putting into place three components of a balanced and harmonious life which is what Nanny McPhee did and, even without magic, we can do it to:

1. DISCIPLINE

2. MANNERS

3. ACCEPTING THE CONSEQUENCES OF ONE’S ACTIONS

It’s definitely easier to start when children are VERY young, but IT’S NEVER TOO LATE!

You’ll be glad you did! And amazingly, so will your children!

How do you handle fighting between siblings? Or between your children and their friends?

Stop by tomorrow for a look at Nanny McPhee’s Lesson #2: SHARE WITH OTHERS.

Have you seen the movie, “Nanny McPhee”?

Nanny_mcphee Photo courtesy: By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3187092 – Universal Pictures

My husband and I recently watched the sequel, “Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang”. The original movie came out in 2005 and took place in 19^th century England. A widower is unable to raise his seven children on his own and the children have systematically gotten rid of seventeen nannies before Nanny McPhee appears and saves the day. The sequel debuted last year and takes place in the English countryside during World War II, We are introduced to the harried mother whose husband is off defending the country and whose three rambunctious young children never seem to listen to her and are constantly fighting with each other. (Let me know if this sounds familiar.) 🙂

Into the picture comes Nanny McPhee, a no-nonsense woman who has unseen powers and a gift for bringing calm and order to a situation filled with upheaval and chaos. (Nanny McPhee, where are you?)

What struck me, though, were the FIVE LESSONS the children had to learn while under Nanny McPhee’s care. I truly believe that these are FIVE LESSONS THAT EVERY KID SHOULD LEARN and use, whether at home, in school or ANYWHERE.

1. NO FIGHTING

2. SHARE

3. WORK TOGETHER

4. BE BRAVE

5. HAVE FAITH

Don’t you think it would be a wonderful thing if every man, woman and child on the face of the earth could learn these lessons?

After doing some research, I learned that back in August, Twitter Moms (now Social Moms) had posed the following question on Facebook, “What are the 5 lessons every kid should learn?” I’m sure they had a ton of responses.

But I’m going to stick with my original plan and, for the next five days, I’ll examine each of Nanny McPhee’s lessons to see how we can apply them as parents today. If you look carefully, you will see that behind the actual lessons are three crucial components of a life lived in balance and harmony: DISCIPLINE, MANNERS, and ACCEPTING THE CONSEQUENCES OF ONE’S ACTIONS.

Your comments will add value to the post…are these the lessons you have taught your children?