These are just priceless.
I used to very quietly say 'chocolate chip cookies' or 'cheesecake' or some other dessert. My mother thought this was incredibly odd, esp as I would say it at what to her seemed like random times. reality? The kids always responded and then? I had their attention to tell them to go do a chore or stop fighting or eat a cookie or whatever. The reason this STLL works is that they don't know if this is one of the times where they will get the treat. In the beggining, long before thank you was even a dream, the treat was handed out IF they responded when I said the word. No response meant no treat. After maybe two weeks I started giving the treats less often and NOT at predictable intervals. The most effective form of reward is one that comes at irregular intervals.
The kids also knew that I was well aware that they heard every word I said. So the 'you didn't tell me' koi flew about as well as I would if I jumped off a buildng in my birthday suit. I got a LOT more chores and cooperation for this one.
Star, I ddn't know you did the tantrum in a store thing too! Wiz was about 2 and we were at a Dillard's department store near the shoe dept. I knew the people working that day from college, and they were prepared to play along. Wiz tried to have a tantrum. I told him he was doing it wrong and to watch, I would show him how to have a REAL tantrum.
In well under a minute Wiz was begging me to stop because I was "barrassing" him, lol!! To this very day he NEVER has a tantrum or hissy of any kind when he is in public with me. he did in a few psychiatrist offces, but that, in my opinion, was why we were there.
Wiz had some great ones. Somewhere around 2yrs old he decided to hide his socks. I could search the house for hours and not find them. His only answer when asked wehre they were?
The Laaaaaaaand of Enchantment. Yup, in the sweetest lttle sing-song voice. Drove my mother totally bonkers. I am not a sock person. Right now I don't even think I own any. I won't wear them - they drive me nuts. So I didn't get itno a tizzy if Wiz didn't have sock on with his shoes. My mother? Still hates that, lol!
thank you is most remembered for SuperTyler. SuperTyler was his alter-ego superhero. SuperTyler was amazing. At about age 3 or so, thank you spent half an hour telling brother in law on husband's side all about SuperTyler. Including how when ST was flying all around the solar system and he had to go to the potty, his tushie or his elephant would stretch to the nearest potty on the nearest planet. He had this ALL worked out. Yes, his DID call his equipment his 'elephant'. One day he was looking at a baby animal board book and decided that his privates were the same as an elephant trunk. We gave zero input into that idea, it was pure Tyler. Or pure SuperTyler, not sure.
Jessica? Her most memorable line was "I don't think so" with all the emphasis you can imagine. She trotted that one out when someone told her something that seemed totally ridiculous to her. From all the 'girls can't do this/that/the other" to looking down her nose at her father as he started to put some food item she didn't like on her plate. in my opinion the funnieset part was that if husband forgot I was at work, he would respond to her as if I said it. Even when it was something I would NEVER use that for. it frustrted the daylights out of husband and I thought it was hilarious. If you confuse a little girl's voice with yoru wife's?? You deserve whatever the tot dishes out. It was't like my schedule changed a lot, lol
Kids are about the most entertaining things around.
