Every November Putnum Publishing has a big warehouse sale in our area (Broome County, NY). It is held in a large warehouse with aisles made from palets with cases of books on them. They are done by catagory starting with Holiday books and kids books. I went one evening after work and I took my 6yr old with me. I had given her $5 and a bag so that she could pick out her own books. (You know how kids are they don't like when we tell them not today or next time, when you are shopping and they want something.)
So... we get there and she finds the books that she wants, 5 books because she choose books that were $1 each. We walk a little furhter and she decides that she is done and wants to leave. Even tries to say that she is not felling well. I explain to her nicely that we will leave when I am done looking through all the aisles. She continues to whine at me as we are looking. She then plops herself down on the floor and says she is going to sit here and read. I then explain that there are too many people there and she is not allowed to sit on her butt as a fire hazard. Relunctantly she comes with me and continues to whine. At this point I have had enough. I pull her aside and hold her arms and tell her very firmly, face to face...
Mommy- "If you do not stop this right now I will spank you." (I would not have really spanked her but was trying to make her understand I was not leaving.)
G.G.- "Mommy, there is a policeman right over there."
So here I thought that I was going to show her that I was not playing games and I was serious, that it was time to listen and she SHOWED ME. It took everything that I had to not laugh because she was right and had a point. My response was to continue walking because she was going to follow me anyway. Oh and of course there was a policeman right over there.
Is it sad that we as parents can not even use this line anymore to try and make our kids listen because they know that we can get in trouble for actually following through with the "threat"?
