Jan 20 2009
Click it… or else.
Living in my own little world between Toddler-dom and Preschool-ville, I tend to forget that these precious little tantrum-throwing, independence-asserting, non-listening cherubs will eventually turn into tantrum-throwing, independence-asserting, non-listening teenagers. I realized today that I need to cherish these times, especially since now I am at least stronger and bigger than them. At least now, I can doll out punishments like, “You lost your toy firetruck for the rest of the day” or “No fruit snacks until you eat some dinner” resulting in almost immediate compliance to my demands.
Eventually, I will have teenagers who won’t care so much about having things taken away, including a treat after dinner. Eventually, I’m going to have to get a lot more creative with punishments.
A friend of mine has a thirteen year old son. Though I don’t know him personally, I will bet that he never ever refuses to listen to his mother and constantly follows the rules (right, Cyndee?). Today, however, this tween man/boy slipped up. Though his mother is quite vigilant about seat belts in the car at all times, today, the thought initially slipped her mind as they pulled out of the school parking lot. Realizing she had neglected to ask him to put on his seat belt, she glanced back to tell him to do so. It was at that precise moment, she saw the police lights in her rear view mirror.
Busted… and slapped with a $135 ticket for not having her son in a seat belt.
She offered to put him up for sale to cover the cost of the ticket, but I think we can figure out some better punishments for his seat belt neglect. Here are a few of my suggestions:
- Booster seat. Strap him in like a preschooler for a week and I’ll bet he won’t forget that seat belt ever again. Better yet, make sure it’s nice and pink, with pretty flowers or hearts on it.
- Give him a big huge smoochy kiss every single time his friends are around (especially girls).
- Make him work off the ticket by serving Mom breakfast in bed every single Sunday, and cleaning up afterward too.
- Have him wash the car every weekend, but on Friday be sure to do some donuts in a nearby mud hole to get it really caked with dirt.
- Give him a car writing pen (like they use for decorating newlywed’s cars) and have him write “I will remember my seatbelt” over and over until the whole car is covered in his writing. Then, make him wash it off and wax it.
- Before driving anywhere with him in the car, go through the traditional preflight spiel, explaining how the seat belts work and pointing to the nearest exits.
These are just a few suggestions for dealing with a seat belt rule breaker. Sorry for your ticket, Cyndee, but I hope this gave you a laugh!
