The ONE Thing Not to Forget When You Shop With Your Kids
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We have all been there. You need to run into the store (we all know it’s Target, right?) for a couple of things, and in an unfortunate turn of events, you have your kids with you. It’s entirely possible that your kids aren’t psychos like mine, but every trip to the store with my kids tends to turn into me having to explain at least 27 times, “We are NOT here to buy toys! We are getting a salad for dinner!” I happen to have one angel boy who always says “Ok, mom!” and that’s the end of it. I also happen to have one prima donna, for whom this scenario always turns into, “MOM! You never buy us ANY toys! We don’t have ANY toys at ALL!” Sigh.
I have an idea!
About a year ago, I listened to the audiobook version of “How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen & Listen So Little Kids Will Talk” by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish. You have likely heard of, and possibly read, this book. It is one of my favorite parenting books and is full of concrete ideas on how to deal with (survive?) the little kid years. One of the recommendations when trying to problem solve with your kids is to start brainstorming ideas and write the ideas down on paper, go through that list one by one and decide which ideas are silly or won’t work, and eventually figure out which one is the best solution. As I listened to this, I had an idea.
At the time, the twins were almost 4, and their birthday was coming up, so it was perfect timing. I always keep a mini Rocketbook in my purse (it’s basically a smart notebook – click here to read all about my love for the Rocketbook). The next time we had to make a Target run and the toy requests started, I said, “Hey guys, we’re not buying any toys today. But I have an idea.”
Suspicious minds. . .
This always gets their attention. I say, “Do you want to hear my idea?” Noah (my angel) always says, enthusiastically, “Yes!” I usually get a raised eyebrow from Sophie. I said, “I have my notebook here. What if we make a list for Noah and a list for Sophie, and you guys can write down what toys you want on the list. Then when it’s your birthday or Christmas, maybe you’ll get something from your list.” I always follow my suggestions with a question along the lines of, “What do you guys think about that?” or “Do you think that’s a good idea or a bad idea?” My kids love to write. They both thought this was a great idea. I wrote each of their names on a separate page in cute colorful lettering and let them pick what color marker they wanted to use. They each wrote down what they wanted, and that was it. No whining, no further requests.
Don’t forget to follow through!
This trick works with my kids EVERY time. But part of the reason it keeps working is that, when their birthday or Christmas rolls around, they usually get at least one or two things from their lists, so they know it’s not a scam. Of course, you don’t need a Rocketbook to do this – any little notebook will work. In my experience, it satisfies them to go back to their list once in a while to check what’s on there, so the back of a receipt that’s going to end up in the trash isn’t recommended. (In case anyone is wondering what “Bad kitty, nice kitty” is, it’s this monstrosity).
If you try this idea with your little ones, please let me know how it works! Also, if you have any tips to make shopping trips with your kids more “milk, salad, eggs,” and less “Fluttershy and Catboy,” please share in the comments!
