Siblings annoy one another and argue sometimes — it’s to be expected. One mom understands this intellectually, but still started feeling desperate during summer break. Two of her daughters, a 13-year-old and a 9-year-old, would not stop fighting. Feeling at her wit’s end after weeks at home with her kids, the mom decided to employ a controversial parenting hack — and it worked.
The mom explained her thought process.
In a video shared on TikTok, mom Maggie explained that her oldest daughter and middle daughter “fight like cats and dogs, p— and fire, oil and water.” She admitted that their behavior seems “normal for their age,” which is something she has to tell herself frequently in order to cope with the chaos.
Recently, though, the mom found herself reaching her breaking point. “We’re in week 57 of summer, OK?” Maggie said in desperation.
This is why she’s ‘not above’ using a controversial parenting hack.
When her daughters are being rude to each other or fighting, Maggie sometimes mentions her late brother to make them feel guilty. “If you have a dead sibling, use that against them,” she advised. “Do you know what I’ve been saying? ‘My brother is dead. Did you hear that? My brother is dead. Y’all wanna keep arguing?'”
Using this hack has actually worked out well for the mom, she says.
Maggie recalled a time when her eldest daughter texted her to say that she was taking their dog for a walk. In response, Maggie urged her to invite her sister to join them. Her daughter said, “No, I need to spend time alone.” In this instance, the mom’s “dead sibling” parenting hack came in handy. Maggie said, “My brother’s dead.” To really “guilt trip” her daughter, she added, “I wish I had one more walk with him.”
In her video, the mom confirmed that her hack “worked” that time, but with a caveat: “You can’t use it all the time because that’s a little too morbid.”
In the comments, many parents admitted to relying on the same hack at times.
@maggieeatsss A little parenting hack 😅 #funny #jokes #parenting #teens #fyp #momsoftiktok #foryou ♬ original sound – Maggie
Some parents called the hack “kind of evil” and “unhinged,” but they appreciated it and also understood. After all, it is week 57 of summer break. “Week 57 of summer hahahaha FELT THAT,” one parent commented.
Another wrote: “I always want to use this but I thought it was too much. good to know it isnt🤣.”
Other parents explained that they use similar tactics. “I don’t have a dead sibling, but I DO tell my kids that one day I WILL die and all they’ll have is each other,” one person wrote.
