If you've been a parent to a young child for any length of time then you probably already know this. But I am just amazed at how "distraction" has been my saving grace time and time again...
Distraction can be very powerful! If you ever want to stop a kid from having a meltdown, throwing a tantrum, crying, pouting, being sad...whatever....distract them. I'm serious. It works. It does for me.
Take for example Buddy Roller's morning routine. This child does not want to wake up. Ever. The only thing that works for me, on a consistent basis, is to literally carry him into another room that has a TV (he is not allowed one in his room). Then he can watch a kid's program for about five to ten minutes while he wakes up.
This works to wake him up, but then there's a problem when it's time to turn off said TV. Oh boy! So to stop the devious behavior from showing its ugly face, I distract him! I might talk about his latest Lego masterpiece, or I may remind him about something super awesome he did, or...I may just tell him about something peculiar I noticed.
It works every time. It did this morning.
Try it.
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