Single Mom Smarts

Help is Just a Faux-call Away

I’ve recently mastered the art of the “faux-call,” in which I pretend to make a phone call that will have a direct impact on the way my kids are acting at any given moment.

For example, on Saturday night I faux-called the Easter Bunny, right in front of Abby as she wailed from her THIRD time-out of the evening. This bedtime was a battle that I was losing, and fast.

Much like the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, she was systematically testing the fences for weaknesses. She had again escaped the confines of her room–only to find herself screaming in time out.

Meanwhile, Ellie was sleeping peacefully in her crib. I swear, that kid could sleep through an angry elephant stampede. And in my house, that’s a very practical skill because when Abby gets fired up, that’s exactly what she sounds like.

So I enlisted the help of Mr. Bunny himself. I calmly explained to him that Abby wasn’t listening to mommy and wouldn’t go to bed. He should hop right past our house when he is out making deliveries. He wasn’t allowed to come in and we didn’t want anything from him. No candy, no chocolate, no Easter baskets.

With eyes as big as saucers, Abby leapt from her time-out stool and dove headfirst in to her bed. She scrambled to slide under the covers, then slammed her eyes shut. I didn’t hear a peep (no pun intended) for the rest of the night. Easiest bedtime trick ever in the history of the world.

After about 10 minutes of silence, I called Mr. Bunny back from right outside her bedroom door. I let him know that because she went to bed right away, that he could come to our house after all. I could hear her giggling from under the covers.

It got me thinking, what sort of trickery do YOU employ to get your kids into bed?

Pictured above is a screenshot from an app where the E-bunny actually calls your kid. I say, why shell out money when you can pretend for free???

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