Mark and I took the kids a couple of years ago to Orlando for a weekend. Nathan was less than a year old, Alexandra must have just turned 2 and Madison was 4. I look back and laugh but at the time it was anything but funny. A trip to Disney would be fun and relaxing right? HA! We never even made it to Disney because Madison was so ornery the day we were going to go I couldn't justify going. We learned a lot about being parents of three young kids that weekend.
During our stay we took the kids to the Rainforest Cafe. Nathan was terrified the whole meal and after our $75 lunch Madison threw up all over the table and floor. That is when Mark made the rule we don't take the kids to a restaurant unless it has a drive thru, curbside doesn't count. We really do stick to that rule and the only sit down "nice" restaurant we go to with the kids is Sonny's BBQ.
Before we left I wanted to get the kids a little something from the Disney Marketplace. I took the girls in the over crowed stores for them to find something they just couldn't live without. Alex started to cry in the store so I took her outside where Mark was with Nathan. I went back in and bought her a pair of Minnie Mouse ears. I gave them to her and she threw them at me! She told me she didn't want them. I took them right back into the store and returned it. Mind you, these were the ears five minutes earlier she couldn't live without.
Mark then made a rule if you ask for something in the store you can't get it that day, if you ask for it twice you can never get it! I didn't like the rule then, but it is a great rule now they have learned the lesson. They are allowed to say they like something in the store. Which has turned into "I really, really, really like that toy." I know what my kids are saying. It sound so much nicer in public than "I want that" or "will you buy this for me."
So, this is where the training you do with your kids backfires. Madison is almost 6 which means for two years they have been trained not to say you want something in a store. Which apparently I have done a great job enforcing the Daddy rule. I say this because last weekend my mom took the girls and I out to lunch and to go "wish list" shopping. My girls would not tell Nana what they wanted! It was like pulling teeth to get them to say "yes, that is what I want for Christmas." Although, I truly think they don't want anything this year and will be happy with whatever they get.
Alexandra took it all in at Target and Toy's R Us and when we got into the van and was heading home she was so cute. She then started to list everything she wanted down to the color! Which is allowed under the Daddy rule. You can say you want something once we are in the van or at home. She wants a Baby Alive with a pink shirt, not blue! She then went into describing a PJ outfit to go with the Baby Alive. It has to be purple set with bunny slippers. My mom started to ask questions just in case she couldn't find purple PJ's. For example, "Would it okay if the PJ's are yellow or pink?" Alex was very adamant and restated everything she wanted down to the color. "I want the Baby Alive with the pink shirt that says I love my bottle, not the blue one and a purple PJ set with bunny slippers." The girl knows what she wants. Oh, and she doesn't want the brown baby either. Makes since, she is not a brown mama!
My mom said I have trained them too well. I nice compliment for me. Even though it was difficult to get the "Nana wish list" done at least it proved that two years of training them not to say "I want" has worked. I still think they really don't want anything specific and Alex even said she wants whatever Santa brings her. So sweet! She knows Santa will give her just what she likes. Santa is very excited about low expectations.
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