Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Idle Threats That Work

Today I went and got my hair cut, and because they go everywhere I go, my kids came along for the fun of it. Luckily, the man who cuts my hair doesn't mind the little tag-alongs, as he owns his own little shop and has a few things for them to play with. (It also helps that it only takes 10 minutes to cut my hair.) Zachary was content playing with the wooden blocks today and was busy building letters out of them when it was time to leave. I asked him to help me put them away, and just as I expected, he didn't begin to help. After my failed second and third attempts to gain his cooperation, he still continued to play. Suddenly, a light went off and I knew exactly how to change this behavior! Zachary HATES getting his hair cut like no other, so you know how the rest of the story goes, don't you? And it worked! At the mere MENTIONING of the word haircut, Zachary burst into "obedient" mode and we were out of there in no time!

7 comments:

Jules said...

That's hilarious!! What works, works! :)

Jules said...

Oh, and I love your new blog layout.

Robin said...

Thanks, Julie! (I wasn't sure which Julie this was at first--and I don't know that many--but your picture in the cowboy hat...well, it makes you look kind of mysterious, too!) Anyway, welcome!

Kelly said...

Christopher is the total opposite. He has LOVED getting haircuts for as long as he's been getting them. That was a good (sneaky) tool you used though.

Kristin said...

Joseph hated hair cuts at that age too. It was horrible giving him a hair cut. He grew out of it and none of my other kids hate it as much as he did. I love when you get those lightbulb moments as a parent. Inspiration I assure you!

Heidi said...

Years ago I purchased a trimmer and I now cut my own boys' hair. Even after a couple of years, it still takes me a long time to cut their hair. The poor things have to sit there for 30-45 minutes while I try to get it just right. : ) Jack's would be faster if he didn't have so many cowlicks. My brother says, "The cow licked you all over Jack!" I tried to cut Abby's hair once but I ended up having to take her to get it cut anyway! Wow, it is hard to cut a girl's hair straight!

Robin said...

Chris has always cut Zachary's hair with the trimmers, too, so once I wondered what would happen if I took him to an actual barber shop. It was even worse and I had to pay for it! We haven't cut Ashley's hair yet, and I told Chris he ain't comin' near her with those trimmers!!!!!! :)