My children.....

One of them was almost left on a tram in The Hague.

And the other two were almost tossed out the window on the sneltrain back from The Hague!!

We took a trip to Madurodam (pictures and description will be posted later) on Monday. The kids had a great time. We had to catch a city tram from Madurodam to get back to Den Haag Central Station, where we took a sneltrain (fast train) back to Amsterdam.

When we were getting off the tram, Justice and Journey stepped off and I told Jagger to go with his daddy. I had the big diaper bag (Skip Hop!) and the umbrella stroller slung over my shoulder so my hands were full. This is normally not a problem- Jagger likes to hang out with Jeff on trains, van, rides, etc. But this time he decided to be disagreeable. Jeff started to reach for Jagger's hand and Jagger flipped out and went running and screaming down the aisle of the tram - the opposite direction from the doors we were disembarking from!

Jeff was trying to get back up the train stairs to get to Jagger, but lots of people were trying to get OFF the train. Most of them probably had no idea what was happening and thought that he was just trying to be rude and push his way onto the train before they had a chance to get off.

Jeff pushed his way past the people and grabbed ahold of Jagger as he was starting to run further down the tram aisle. I stood there pressing the DOOR OPEN button so that the tram wouldn't start moving to the next stop.

Then as Jeff was almost off the train carrying a SCREAMING and KICKING child, Jagger grabbed ahold of one of the silver posts that commuters hold onto when they are riding while standing. Jeff literally had to pry his fingers off the bar and pull him away, Jagger screaming at the top of his lungs the entire time!

Keep in mind that spanking a child or any sort of physical punishment is against the law in the Netherlands. Give your child a smack on the bottom in public and you could go to jail! I kept thinking that someone was going to mis-interpret the situation and think that Jeff was harming Jagger or even kidnapping him! With the way that child was screaming you would think something was seriously wrong. But no, it was just a case of a nasty, rotten, almost-4-year-old.

So then on the sneltrain back to Amsterdam (about a 45 min ride), Justice assumed his I'm-the-older-brother-and-I'm-tired-so-I'm going-to-be-as-bossy-as-possible role. Journey countered that with his I'm-the-younger-brother-so-I'm-going-to-be-as-picky-and-annoyinng-as-possible-role. These two children fought about who was sitting where, who was looking in which direction, who would be able to push the train faster, who could count higher, and the meaning of the word "infinity". Then Journey started with all the annoying songs and riddles he has learned since he started public school - God Bless my Underwear, Hi-Ho-Hi-Ho It's off to School we go....and some other lovely tunes. These didn't sit well with Justice, who was starting to close his eyes and doze off. He didn't use his "debugging skills" (a list of steps that the school teaches the children to deal with someone who is bothering them) and just resorted to KICKING his brother. Of course this brough LOUD screams and cries from Journey who acted like the innocent victim, even though he was told NUMEROUS times by his parents to be quiet and let the other passengers on the train rest.

The walk back from Amsterdam Central Station to the apartment was just as bad, as the children were hungry and we had to pass about 20 different restaurants, fast food joints and convenience stores. WHINE WHINE WHINE!!!

Jeff and I were LIVID when we got back to the apartment. We got the kids some sandwhiches and had a BIG family discussion!! We explained that when we are traveling in a foreign country, they are representing ALL American children. I know the people on the train were really annoyed with their behavior - you could see it on their faces and the way they shook their heads. One man even stomped out of our compartment between stops, probably on his way to sit somewhere quieter.

We explained the difference between acceptable and unacceptable behavior when in public and at home. We made them each tell us what they did wrong on the trip and how they could improve their behavior. Then we made them do chores in the apartment (just like at home). Justice had to vacuum the living room/dinig room/kitchen and empty all the trash cans. Journey had to make all the beds and switch the laundry from the washer to the dryer. Jagger was upset because he was not assigned a chore so he helped Justice turn the vacuum on and off as needed.

The kids were not allowed to watch TV the rest of the night and had to go to bed early (they were exhausted anyway!)

I'm happy to say that they behaved fairly well since then. I can tolerate a bit of whinning because their bodies are still adjusting to the time difference and they get tired out easily, but the disrespect and obnoxious behavior will not be tolerated AT ALL!