I like to call it "creative parenting."

The other day one of the girls asked me what's "bluffing."

I explained that it's when someone says they're going to do something, to try to make someone do something else. And the other person has to figure out if they're serious or not. I used a kid-friendly example to help explain (can't really reference poker, ya know?) and they got it.

Fast forward to Sunday morning:

We're at the table, eating breakfast. The kids have this annoying habit of eating ridiculously slowly or racing through a meal. I swear I must tell the kids to either "hurry up" or "slow down" at least ten times each. We rarely, if ever, all finish eating at the same time. So, it wasn't surprising that Mad Dog totally inhaled her cinnamon roll and cereal. As she got up and started walking out of the dining room, she asked to be excused.

"Wait."

"What?"

"Sit down. You need to wait until everyone else is done."

I had been writing out a list of the day's to dos and I wanted her to be a part of the discussion.

"But I want to play my video game," she whined.

"No. Sit down."

She flopped down into her chair in a huff. Somehow in the last week, she developed an attitude like a 16 year old. I ignored the tantrum and returned to the topic at hand. A minute or two passed when she asked,

"Can I be excused, pleease?"

"No. We're not done."

"Well, when?"

"When I say."

She folded her arms across her chest and rolled her eyes. At this point, I've gone from mildly annoyed to somewhat pissed. The Deuce slurped down the rest of her food, but aside from that, the rest of us were still eating.

"Can I be excused?" The Deuce asked.

"No. You guys need to wait. We're talking about what we're going to do today. It's a team meeting. We all need to be here."

Thirty seconds later (I swear), Mad Dog was dumb enough to ask again.

"Can I be excused, NOW?!" Clearly, she was pissed too.

"NO! And the next person that asks is going to... to..."

My mind raced. In the past week, I'd taken away the TV and computer. Taking either one away again wouldn't have the effect I wanted and I couldn't think of a suitable punishment.

"Going to what?" the girls asked, leaning in.

"Going to stand outside in the cold, barefoot, for two whole minutes."

They studied my face. Was I serious?

"Are you bluffing?" asked Mad Dog.

"Try me," I said.

With devilish smiles on their faces, they did.

"May I be excused?" they chirped in unison.

"Outside," I said, grinning. I pointed to the back door. "NOW!"

The girls giggled and laughed as they ran for the door and stepped outside. The weather was a brisk 54 degrees, but the cold concrete patio made it feel colder. They stood, face to face, still giggling as I set the timer.

"Two minutes, starting... NOW!"

For the first thirty seconds, the girls danced around and rubbed their arms, telling me it really wasn't so bad. Then, at about 40 seconds, they asked if time was almost up.

"You're about half way," I called out the back door. "Stay out there!"



Their giggles turned to shrieks, "Eeks! We're cold!"

At the minute-and-a-half mark, they clutched each other for warmth.

"Time's up!" I opened the back door, letting them in. They flew through the door and straight in their warm robes.

"Sorry, Mom!" they called as they raced up the steps to their room. "Sorry!"

~ ~ ~

Now, some might think this was cruel, but I like to call it "creative parenting." It's hard when the kids decide to test their boundaries so thoroughly. Some days it feels like all I do is sold and punish. And besides, the more I lecture, the more my kids tune it out anyway. Sometimes it pays to be a little resourceful. Sometimes, simple shock value can be more effective than any time out or grounding.

I'm curious. Do you have a creative parenting moment to share? It could be you as a parent or you as a kid. Either way, I'm always looking for more creative parenting tricks to add to my arsenal!