Back talk is a problem in our house with the lads. It’s become almost second nature to them these days. I know, hard to believe such amazing little people can have such sinful natures, isn’t it? 
It’s one of those things, just about even with whining that sets my blood boiling. Arg! No one likes back talky kids. Everyone has seen parents somewhere struggling with a kid who has a disrespectful mouth.
So we have been working on this struggle for them. I can’t say I’ve had any enormous break throughs recently except that my own reaction/response needs working on first of all. I recently “attended” a webinar by this lady who hosts Positive Parenting Solutions. It’s a psychology based approach to parenting, and while, I’m sure there are things tucked in there that I wouldn’t necessarily agree with, but at the same time there is a lot of good stuff. Stuff that I have read from time to time in the Christian parenting books I have gone through. And sometimes it’s nice to have some resource to look at that gives you a slightly different approach. I’ve had a few… more than a few days recently where I’ve felt completely defeated and ineffective as a parent. I go to bed thinking the entire day or even week has been a complete failure where my input in raising our kids is concerned.
The webinar gave me a few things to think about with consequences, and maybe I’ll share those on here sometime soon too, because it made sense to me. Also something that has been hitting home a lot for me is the “one on one” time with the kids. I really do think that I’d see a big change in the monkeys if I would purposely give them more one on one time. It’s easier with Qade now that he has school that I help him with, but I need to carve out time for each of them every day and make it a positive time. That can be difficult on days where they are jumping on my buttons, and they know how to do it too! It feels like the last thing I want to do is sit down and cuddle, or tickle or play trains. But it’s so important that I do.
Anyway, here’s an article by the gal I mentioned with the webinar…. sorry I don’t remember her name, and I’m too lazy to look it up right now, but it’s a good article about back talk and how to deal with it. I’m going to read it again, and start implementing some of the steps right away. I’ll let ya know how it goes.