The daily arguments over putting away the toys or practicing the piano defeat us so easily. We see them coming yet they frustrate us time and time again. In many cases, we are mothers and fathers who have managed budgets and unruly bosses and done difficult jobs well through sheer tenacity and dogged preparation. So why are we unable to persuade someone three feet tall to step into six inches of water at bathtime?
- Cathy Rindner Tempelsman
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You don't persuade a child that age to get into the water, for children that age are paranoid little creatures sure they are about to undergo tortures vile. What you do is make it fun. Put water in tub, grab the kid, strip kid naked while tickling and play biting and making growly noises, plop kid in water and start scrubbing. A child could give a rats ass about doing the right thing, but make it an event he anticipates and he's all for it.