Why you should never make a threat you can’t follow up

The discipline of children is something that divides a nation – family, friends, teachers and farmers! 

I look back at my former, child free-self, and remember how I judged parents.  We’ve all been in the queue in a supermarket thinking; ‘Why cant they just shut that screaming kid up?’ or   ‘Who even takes a kid to the supermarket anyway?!’  or even worse;  ‘They are feeding them sweets to keep them quiet?  How spineless’.

Well, how things have changed.  Just last week I was telling a mummy friend how I kind of enjoy going to the supermarket with the kids.  It passes the time, and there’s nowhere more plentiful for snacks and bribes – from magazines to chocolate, they have it all!!  To be honest, if we lived closer, I think I’d be making it part of the daily routine!  (What a saddo!)

The supermarkets must love it too – it sure keeps the cleaners busy, with the never ending trail of half eaten oatybar up and down the aisles.

Anyway, today I made a threat I absolutely couldn’t follow through with.

At breakfast this morning, Lucy was being a prat.  So I told her that I would leave her behind and go without her.  It was the first thing I could think of.  Her response:    ‘Okay’

Bummer.  Can you imagine?  Well, I can tell you – I was flipping tempted.

The thing is, I quite often have to threaten to leave her places.  Like in the car park at toddlers, when she refuses to go in the car and has a meltdown because I put Angus in the car first, even though she suggested it. Standard.

Its a constant game of reverse psychology.  I’m going to have to up my game as soon as she realises that I can’t actually just leave her.  Having said that – My mum once left my sister at a Park in Elgin and drove round the block a few times after she refused to get in the car.  I remember being very upset.  My sister however – cool as a cucumber!  Not bothered in the slightest when we returned for her.  She was at least 7, and that was pre media focus on child abduction.  I think.  She probably flashed her ‘childline’ card at Mum when she got in the car.

I guess we are just living the Terrible Twos.  I saw a website that had the tag line ‘Make the Terrible Twos Terrific’.  I laughed.  And laughed some more.  It was probably written by a childless person, or somebody who had children 40 years ago, who think they know it all about the upbringing of a child, because they did it once you know?!  Needless to say…I didn’t bother reading it.  To busy drinking tea and up dating my FB status!!