Don't make me pull this car over!

All growing up, my brothers and I knew what it meant when our mom said, "Don't make me pull this car over!"

It meant that we were pushing her buttons and in about 3 seconds, if we didn't knock it off, mom was gonna pull that car over and someone, if not all, were gonna get spanked.

She meant business and just a tap of the brakes and we immediately shaped up. I've used the same line with my girls when they were all little, although I don't remember ever following through and yanking them outside, but I have pulled over many a time and gave them all a pretty darn scary speech with a big fat side dose of intimidation.

Well, that was several years ago, but I found out recently that I can still use that "pull the car over" threat and it WORKS! At ages 16, 13 and 9, it still works!

For some reason, although my girls are older and get along WAY better than when they were little, they still can't manage to ride in the truck together without the occasional goofing off or bickering going overboard. Of course the topics of their silliness or arguments have changed drastically over the years and the sizes of their bodies are now that of adults so when things start to get out of hand, I have to determine in my head if it's worth me stepping in.

For instance, if they get to arguing, I can try and butt in but they're louder and more confident so my wise, motherly words of instruction are basically ignored. Just like little kids, though, they still get to the point where they finally involve me and say, "Mom, tell her it's mine."

Then I feel obligated to at least participate in their adolescent conversation, which basically I either offer the standard, "You two are gonna have to work it out" or sometimes I might offer a mature, well thought out resolution like, "Why don't you guys just pipe down back there!" Ya see, if I try to be logical and offer actual solutions, one of them thinks I'm taking sides and that's a losing battle for me so I just bow out. They only time I refuse to bow out is when the name calling bomb is dropped or the infamous sarcastic copying each other begins. Ya know, when one says with a mean face, "Knock it off" or "Chill out" and then the other sister copies her but with an ugly facial expression and high-pitched rendition of her sister's phrase, sometimes resulting in a shove to the head. It's a lovely experience to listen to in the front seat so then I basically have to man up and yell a good hearty "That's Enough!" so we can at least go home in peace.

Anyway, the same is true for the goofing around. Those girls can get to rolling in the backseat and laughing about things I didn't even know were even the tad bit humorous. It's usually when it's late or they've just eaten but the once they get to giggling ... Eeesh ... it's over. The other night they were cutting up about who knows what and singing and laughing and carrying on while we were driving home.

I was trying to have a conversation with Hubby and all they did was make fun of me and laugh to each other about the irritation they could see on my face. I'd politely asked them twice already to calm down, warned them once to "hush or else" but every time I acknowledged them, it just fueled their comedic fire.

They were slapping the back of my seat laughing, tears rolling down their faces and voices so loud the sound was piercing my ears. I'd had enough of being made fun of and being interrupted so I turned and yelled it, "If you girls don't stop, I'm pulling this truck over!!!!!!"

They paused temporarily but were still smiling, probably remembering those words from long ago. I followed it with, in my most serious voice while my truck slowed to a stop sign, "I mean it! Calm down or you're walking home!!!"

And BINGO! They stopped! It still works! And what they don't know though, is at 16, 13 and 9 years old, I was 100 percent serious and I woulda made them walk.

They could laugh and cut up while they walk all the way home is what I was figuring, get it out of their system. We live in a small town, they woulda been fine.

But like years past, they shut right up and I didn't hear another peep till we pulled in the driveway. See ... it still works!