turn it into a game

how i tricked my stubborn three year old into staying in her bed for the first time in her life and it's a very big deal

Hello you incredible ppl

This one is a little Friday in August snacky length. I’m helping my partner do some work in a garden for her school project and need to count cucumbers or something I don’t know I need her to explain it.

Anyways, it’s been a warm, sleepy summer here in Toronto. Everyone is on vacation except for me because my vacation this year is spending a week away in September for my MBA class. Who doesn’t want to do school work from 6am until 11pm for 7 days in a row stuck on campus in the middle of a random town in Ontario?

I kinda do. But I’m sick.

Anyways, pls subscribe if you haven’t already. It will help validate all the money I’m spending on business school and I can tell my profs “hey look, I built a real newsletter business!”

That can’t happen without you, which negatively impacts my self esteem and sense of accomplishment.

Don’t even pay me just subscribe for free and keep ya stinkin’ money — just help increase my accomplishment pls.

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i can’t tell if these are getting better or worse tbh

I’ve mentioned on here before that my kids are terrible sleepers. If you are new here or you have forgotten then let me tell you something: my kids are terrible sleepers.

They are four and three years old and bedtime is a battle each and every night.

I read to them, ask them how many forehead kisses they want (they pick a number between 0 and “all of them”, but usually settle around 7), tuck them in and try to leave.

Then they leave the bed and I have to put them back and we do that over and over again until someone gives up.

We tried to sleep train and all that but whatever this isn’t a parenting guide or a solicitation for advice because I FIGURED IT OUT.

So, the older one will usually go down easier, but the littler one, man, she is stubborn. She will fight and claw and ask for anything under the sun to get out of having to be in bed.

“I need wadda”

“I need a stuffy”

“I didn’t hug my mama”

“I need to pee”

“I am hungary” (she’s not hungarian she just says hungry like that I dunno)

Anyways. Last night, after her sixth attempt of leaving the bed and coming to bother us as we tried to have a romantic edible and watch Hijack on Apple TV (this show is batshit and awesome), I decided that my frustrated and stern “stay in bed!” wasn’t working and had an idea.

This kid loves games. Instead of reading books, she much prefers playing this other game I made up where I quickly show her the pictures on the page, hide it away, and make her guess shit that was on it.

What colour were the mittens on the kitty?

“Rainbow!”

So, I took my phone and put it on her shelf and played a Peppa Pig bedtime story for her quietly. I told her this is a very important game that she can win, but only if she listens very very closely to the story. I will play the story for her, and then come back in exactly fifteen minutes. When I come back, she has to answer three questions correctly about the story. If she is right, I’ll sit with her for 10 minutes.

She got super excited. Went under the covers and furrowed her brow, ready to intently listen to this story to win her quiz.

I left, and came back after 48 minutes (she doesn’t really have a concept of time). She was wide awake, staring at the ceiling after listening to 7 Peppa Pig stories in a row. It didn’t matter, she had stayed in bed. This was a win.

I asked her what kind of animal Peppa was?

“A pig!” She exclaimed.

I asked her what adventures did Peppa go on?

“I don’t know,” she said, laughing.

I told her okay, this time she really needs to listen so she can win!

And I put the story back on and she was asleep by the time I left her room.

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Hey you — hit that lil red heart below the give this post a boosty boost of love will ya? Thanks.

Also, I’d love to know:

1. what have you or could you gamify to help see results? My main motivation for running is to see the data and “beat” my former self. Nike Run Club app does this well.

2. did you watch Hijack? I need people to talk about it with because I am so confused and have so much to say.