"I Love You Man!"

Bradley and Ben, like most siblings, fight non-stop. They fight when they wake up in the morning, they fight when they eat breakfast. They fight over who's brushing their teeth the right way and over who has to let the dogs outside. They fight over everything! They love to puncuate their differences in opinion with "You're stupid!" or "Shut up idiot!" If their feeling really saucy and think that I am out of earshot at the moment a nice, "You're a bitch!" is thrown in. I've worn out my arsenal of threats and punishments with no success... until now. I'm starting to see a little glimmer of hope, a light at the end of the nasty mouthed tunnel. Now whenever they call each other an ugly name, the offender is forced to hug the victim and say outloud, for all to hear, "I love you." Ah, isn't that sweet! Heaven forbid a proclomation of love should have to be made towards your brother. There have been a few times now, that I've watched as one of the boys gets ready to let an insult fly, and the thought of the dreaded "I love you" rears it's ugly head, and the crisis has been temporarily averted. Of course, there are other times when they just don't give a crap and a good, old-fashioned insult is launched. Hey, we're trying here. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither will the Squires house of love and goodwill be either.