Conning your Kids

Good morning folks.  I am popping in to tell you how the week with the grandbabes is going on around here.  As you would expect it is hopping.  We have had so many different type of activities.  It is something that I remember when I was growing up.  Going to my grandparents farm for breaks.  We picked fresh veggies from the garden, hunted eggs from the chickens and learned how to cook some of the best desserts ever.  I loved helping feed the cows and watching my grandpa wrangle the calves.  It was great times.  Now I want my own grandbabes to have those type of memories.  And I know they will not happen unless I make them happen. 

Now of course I have the lee-way to spoil the babes.  But instead I look for how I can have a great time with them and keep them following the rules of life.  Like no fit throwing.  Sheesh!  It is not really hard, I mean I am a pretty old hand on conning kids.  Yeah you heard me right.  It is not really hard.  Instead of just preaching the hard line of rules you can get kids to do what you want in a fun way.  It is not so much as bending the rules as bending the situations.  You do it too!  

If you need help learning this then look up  How to Con Your Kid from Quirk Books.  My grandbabes bring boundless joy into my life. But they also bring temper tantrums, stubborn moods, and 90-decibel fits of hysterical screaming. We had a melt down last night at the grocery store.  And instead of letting him get his way we decided to ignore the fit.  I felt it would just last a couple of minutes if we did not feed into it.  But he had gone through that with his mom already in the past.  So instead I conned him.  I looked around all confused.  Then I asked Dear Hubby aka Coppie if he had seen our grandson?  Smart Coppie caught on really quick and said no he had not.  I pretended to look all around  calling his name softly.  That stopped the fit while our grandbabe tried to show me he was right there.  Yeah, one minute and we were off and shopping with giggles.  


How to Con Your Kid shows how parents can con their toddlers to do anything-and we mean anything. Want your kid to try broccoli? Serve her a plate of “baby trees.” Want her to take a bath? Put on a bathing suit and go “swimming” together.  From simple “short cons” to more elaborate, step-by-step scams, How to Con Your Kid features tricks and tips for the home, travel, school, daycare, and more.  You can get your kid to help with chores by naming him “Mom’s Special Assistant.”  Help get your kid moving by racing her to the corner.  Or even get your kid to share by suggesting he trade instead.  Plus, for those rare moments when everything fails, they have included two sheets of “bribe stickers”.  Thanks to David Borgenicht and James Grace for sharing their book with us.


Now here is this weeks con in disguise.  Just melt butter and add food coloring.  Using clean paint brushes let them paint their bread.  Pop into the broiler of the oven and toast it.  Then we have Paint Toast.  Easy, fun and they want to eat their designs.