Parenting tricks

[Anonymous_IHB]

Thought I'd start a thread on clever parenting tricks you have discovered. Here are two of mine:



1. When kids want something totally impractical in the store you don't want to buy (ex. want to buy the whole collection of Smurf beanie babies or something like that), tell them they can't buy it, but you can take a picture of them with their cool things. Then take out your cell phone and take a picture and have them put the things back. Works well, sometimes they like to see the picture later - they are happy to have just taken the memory of it with them via the photo.



2. If you need to discipline your child, but in a totally politically correct way, give them the uber healthy food treatment. That is, for one day, you will follow the doctor recommended dietary stuff to the letter all day (ie. no sugar, no added salt, no sugary drinks - milk and water only, whole wheat instead of white, no added fats or sugars which means no butter and you get a tomato slice instead of ketchup, etc, no candies or dessert, and so on). Works like a charm.

 

[Cubic Zirconia_IHB]

So I am a horrible mother! My older one knows that there is white bread- younger one hasn't even seen anything close Food is always very lightly salted, and oh no! even in their lunch boxes they take soy milk instead of juice. But the silver lining for them is, I do let them have a sugary drink when we eat out, and they do get their desserts..



Here are my clever parenting tricks:



1. Reward good work. Older one gets $25 for every milestone in reading counts tests, and for every week of all As and good behavior $10. I don't really control how she spends her money, but I do help her find good deals on those peace sign necklaces and bracelets and help her stretch her dollar. She is saving to buy a laptop these days.



2. When in store, I let the younger one pick out all the stuffed toys she wants to, and most of the times by the time I am done shopping, she loses interest in them. If she didn't, I tell her to send them back to their mommy. She usually listens. When she doesn't, I just distract her with my phone- I let her take pictures. Next time I will try your idea of taking her picture with those toys before putting them back.



3. If they don't use their magic words, I don't respond. They correct themselves as soon as they notice. Usually they go "Mommy, can I turn on the TV" five times before saying "Mommy, can I please turn on the TV". If they fight a lot, I separate them for 30 mins and don't ask them why they fought. At the end of thirty mins, all they want to do is get back to playing rather than sit and talk to mom about who did what.



4. I have limited TV time to one program a day, but invested in Wii. The kids play at least an hour a day, and after that it's dinner, reading time and a good night sleep.





[quote author="Anonymous" date=1256346813]Thought I'd start a thread on clever parenting tricks you have discovered. Here are two of mine:



1. When kids want something totally impractical in the store you don't want to buy (ex. want to buy the whole collection of Smurf beanie babies or something like that), tell them they can't buy it, but you can take a picture of them with their cool things. Then take out your cell phone and take a picture and have them put the things back. Works well, sometimes they like to see the picture later - they are happy to have just taken the memory of it with them via the photo.



2. If you need to discipline your child, but in a totally politically correct way, give them the uber healthy food treatment. That is, for one day, you will follow the doctor recommended dietary stuff to the letter all day (ie. no sugar, no added salt, no sugary drinks - milk and water only, whole wheat instead of white, no added fats or sugars which means no butter and you get a tomato slice instead of ketchup, etc, no candies or dessert, and so on). Works like a charm.</blockquote>

 

[trrenter_IHB]

I embarass them back in public.



I don't try to get them to stop by being nice. I emabarass them right back. If they want to cry over a toy they don't get I am not above crying with them.



At Disneyland the other day my son was being a butt head and trying to walk away. So I pretended like I was lost and started calling his name really loud. Then I ran over to him and acted like a complete dope hugging him and telling him I was sooooo happy to find him he is 14 so he was mortified.



I also threatned and followed through with singing the "I love you song" from Barney to him, in public.



Since they know I will do it they stop pretty quickly.



As a matter of fact all I had to do for a little while is say "Barney" and they would stop.