16 Brilliant Parents Who Managed to Outwit Their Kids

Raising a child is like a walk in the park. Jurassic Park. You end up having to come up with all kinds of trickery to get your way. Parents of Reddit were asked to share their best parenting hacks.
Luckily, the thread quickly got popular and now we have so many witty ways to make children behave.

Bright Side picked the best win-win strategies that will save your time and nerves.

• Took my 3-year-old son to get a shot. He was worried the whole drive, almost to the point of tears. We get to the doctor’s office and turns out my son is scheduled not for one shot, but 5 of them in the same visit. I turn to my son with an exaggerated smile and tell him, “Good news! They figured out how to take that one big shot you were going to get and instead break it up into these 5 little tiny shots so it won’t hurt nearly as much!”
  You could see the relief wash over his face. He stopped squirming and relaxed completely. He took the first shot and even smiled and said “It’s true! The small ones don’t hurt!” We actually made it through the third shot before the effect wore off and reality kicked in.
  Still... I counted it as a victory. © blackbird77 / Reddit

• Every morning, if my 5-year-old is running late getting ready for school — I usually just yell, “Fine, I will leave for school without you,” which makes him rush to not get left behind. Not sure how long it will last until he realizes that me going to his elementary school without him would be a little odd.
  © alexplayer / Reddit

• We were in line at the grocery store checking out. My kid was 3, and the meltdown started and quickly became an on-the-floor tantrum. I looked down and said, louder than normal, but not yelling, “Where is your mother? We need to find your mom!”
  She was startled, because I am her mom, and confused. But the tantrum ended quickly, and with hugs. © stephlj / Reddit

• My parents always told me my broccoli were the flowers of the queen and that I really shouldn’t eat them, or else the queen would get very upset! I, of course, ate the whole plate of broccoli in a few seconds. © Subwoofy / Reddit

• My child was reluctant when it came to putting away toys. However, he loves timed tasks and is very competitive. I’d instruct my child to put away all the red toys as fast as possible. Then blue, then green, etc.
  Toys... put away. © divorced_dad_670 / Reddit

• My uncle used to say, “Quick! Before I give you a dollar!” We would all run like mad to do whatever it was. I’ve used this on my kids and the look of confusion on their faces is all worthwhile. The cycle continues. © never___nude / Reddit

• My mom had a friend who would put vegetables on her own plate but not her kids’. When the kids asked, she would be reluctant to share, “That’s grown-up food. But I suppose I can let you have a little.” Her kids grew up loving vegetables. © laik72 / Reddit

• I wanted to name my boat. Anything I would think of was dismissed as stupid by my 13-year-old son. After deciding on a name, I confided to a male friend my son liked. Made my friend suggested the name as though it was his idea.
  My son thought the name was perfect. Done. © calypsodweller / Reddit

• When there were chores that needed doing, my father noticed that if he asked me to mow the lawn, I would complain and procrastinate. But if he asked would I rather mow the lawn or wash the windows, I’d pick one and just get it done. © AppealToReason16 / Reddit

• My son was really impulsive when he was little and would try to run away from me when we would be crossing streets instead of holding my hand. So I started to tell him that he needed to hold my hand so nobody would try to steal me. It worked. He felt responsible for making sure nobody tried to kidnap me out in public. © TimelyKaleidoscope / Reddit

• Here’s how to handle a screaming and yelling tantrum:
  1. Observe quietly for a moment.
  2. Shake your head and say, “No, no, you’re not doing it right. You have to shake your body more, and really throw your legs and arms into it. Here, watch...”
  3. Lay down on the ground and demonstrate your best full-on kicking and screaming tantrum.
  Your mortified child will never, ever try that again. © ldh_know / Reddit

• I’ve done this one with tens of kids. Any time a kid gets “hurt” (falls down on the grass, gets gently hit in the face with a ball, etc.) instead of stopping the activity to pick the kid up and see if they’re ok, you just scoot them off to the side and resume. Within 10 seconds of not getting all the attention and seeing the fun is resuming they pop right back up and are magically healed. This, of course, is only for the “injuries” that aren’t actually injuries. © pedanticProgramer / Reddit

• When I was a kid I refused to get up in the morning. My mom said we were going to trick my dad into thinking I was still asleep. So she made me put on clothes and then hide under the covers and pretend to be asleep. Then my dad would come in to wake me up and I would “fool” him because I was already dressed and ready.
  This worked on me for years and I never questioned it. In hindsight, it’s pretty obvious that my parents just wanted me to get dressed without a fuss. © mfiggfi / Reddit

• Whenever I fell over my mom would laugh or say, “Oh, you’ve broken the pavement, look at that!” Never cried. © UselessFranklin / Reddit

• “I bet you can’t...” Both of them HATE the assertion that they’re not capable of doing something.
  “Can you put your toys away?” will almost certainly garner a hard NO, but “I bet you can’t put all those toys back in the box, no way you’ll be able to,” will have them whizzing around tidying like demons, followed by a very indignant, “See, I told you I could!” Cue a fake surprise from me.
  They’re only 4 and 7, so I know this has got limited time, but so far works like a charm every time.
  © bibbobbins / Reddit

• I taught my kids when they were toddlers that no amount of yelling, shaking, or hitting can wake a sleeping adult. The only thing that works is a gentle hug and/or a nice kiss on the cheek.
  © DrMethusael / Reddit

Do you have your own tricks? Did your parents pull any on you?

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