AP Moment of the day ~ granting wishes.

I may have mentioned this before, but life is so much nicer for small children if they can have their wishes granted.... if only in make believe! I read this is in one of my parenting books but for the life of me I can't remember which one now. It was probably Kids Are Worth It, but I can't promise that! The point is, if a child really wants to do something that just can not happen, it's a simple case of saying "You wish you could squirt water at Mummy all night long, don't you?" ... honestly, if you have guessed right and that is JUST what the child wants to do, then you are rewarded with a smile, or at least an acknowledgement that yes, that IS what I would like to do, but I know that I can't for a plethora of reasons....!! I did that with Jack tonight. He really wanted to squirt me with a toy from the bath and he was soaking the bathroom floor in the process. I wanted him to get ready for bed so told him to put the toy away.... he cried and cried. He was over tired and really needed to get to bed, but his upset prompted me to reach for the (t)rusty tools and see what I could remember. I dug deep ... and pulled out the old reliable "Wish Granting" !! :D "You wish you could squirt Mummy all night long, don't you?! " and sure enough, he sobbed out a "yes" ... and gave me a big hug!!

I really don't know why this works, I'm sure there's a good explanation for it, but sometimes it's best just to believe in the magic of it and trust it!! : D I've done this when he doesn't want Daddy to go to work " You wish Daddy could stay home all day, don't you?" ... yup. He's been heard, he's been understood, and he's been sympathised with. He knows that Daddy can't stay home all day and he KNOWS he can't squirt Mummy with water all night long either.... but it sure would be nice! :D

Satisfaction, guaranteed..... at least in theory! :D