We're busy people. What with the everyday work of feeding, cleaning, raising, educating, clothing, tilling, planting, weeding, watering (ok, not right now... the rain is incessant!), livestock care,  etc., etc...

Everybody is busy though in one way or another, I suppose.  The problem here is that if something comes up like, say....  a dirty diaper, I'm always conveniently busier than my husband is, so I think he should just go grab it for me. More often than not, he'll argue back that he is indeed doing something more important than I am.

I suspect that the reality is that diaper changing is one of the lesser pleasant aspects of parenting especially after the little one starts eating mostly solid foods. But around in circles we would dance until one of us would cave and walk off in a huff to do our doody duty.

Our solution to diaper duty happiness:

Paper, Rock, Scissors

The lot causeth contentions to cease, and parteth between the mighty. Proverbs 18:18

There is plain old, Paper, Rock, Scissors, or Best Out Of Three - just call it first-, or the children's favorite Double Paper, Rock, Scissors. They try to get us to play Double Paper, Rock, Scissors Best Out of Three, but we're trying to maintain the illusion of busyness to justify pawning the diaper duty off, so it's not often we acquiesce.

Let me tell you that not only has it stopped the bickering, but it also leaves us walking away happy. The game was fun and so we're cheerful.

I found it most entertaining that Ben had been tossing Paper, Rock, Scissors at me for months prior to potty training and there is nothing cuter than that chubby little fist throwing three times and then making a little clacking, snipping noise to cut through my paper.

But we were all surprised when we realized that our baby, Rebekah,  at 10 months old is now playing too!

The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:33

I've found that the children are problem solving in the same way at times. I've even had them try to Paper, Rock, Scissors me so they could change a diaper. "No, Honey. That's ok, I'll just get it." But they insist on the game. (They always win ;D ) Of course, there is no limit to the variety of applications you could make when you utilize this solution to settle disputes. And if the whole disposing is of the Lord, how can you argue with the results?

Have you ever tried a game, like Paper, Rocks, Scissors, to settle a dispute? What did you "throw" over?