It’s cold outside. The kids are stuck in the house. Chances are that they are making you crazy. Please don’t kill them, no matter how tempting it may be.

Yes, I know that your boys are bouncing off the walls, jumping off the couch to work off the adrenaline generated by killing XBox aliens. Your girls are snotty and short tempered, whining that you won’t drive them to the mall.

It’s hard to beat the winter “bad behavior” blahs. The excitement of the holidays is over. Spring is a long way off. The days are short. The nights are cold. Everyone is grumpy and miserable.

Thank heavens the Internet provides solutions. Or not.

Last week I was desperate for some strategies to help me deal with the kids, besides dropping them off at the nearest orphanage. I looked to the Internet for help, and discovered an article on 10 No-Yell Discipline Solutions. It counseled adults both on how to be better parents, and why it’s important to keep Pedialyte on hand.

Another article urged parents to speak quietly, making children work hard to listen. 

It was at that point that I wondered if the people who write for the Internet have any kids of their own. Speak quietly and the kids will never hear you over their video games and iPods.   

I really did try to find useful articles. One piece listed 20 Fun Things to Do in the Snow, but we don’t have any snow. I couldn’t find an article listing 20 Fun Things to Do in Cold Drizzle.   

I found some good advice on keeping kids in line when they’re stuck in the house. Empty threats and nagging don’t work, so establish clear rules and enforce them consistently. For example, if you come up with a terrific threat such as “Do that again and I’ll feed you to the fishes,” make sure you’re an active member of the mafia so you can carry it out. 

Luckily, the winter bad behavior blahs don’t last long in this area. The very cold weather is usually over by March, and soon the spring musical and sports will get the kids out of the house.

Until then, the Internet CAN provide some really useful information—such as the Top 20 Places to Vacation in the Caribbean.

How do you beat the winter bad-behavior blahs? Tell us in the comments.