Friday 19 June 2009

Ten Steps To Becoming A Better Parent

  1. Keeping Mum: If you're worried your two year old is going to grass up your latest gaffe to your Husband and reveal that you let him (two year old not Husband) wee freely on the bedroom carpet, let him chew chewing gum all day. Sticks their mouth together beautifully.
  2. Bribe #1: Use anything you can, sweets/magazines/DVDs/whiskey to evoke good behaviour from your offspring at all times. Whiskey is cheaper.
  3. Bribe #2: A good cake or, in extreme cases Money, can be used to bribe a teacher. 'A' grades are a lot easier to come by than you think.
  4. Santa or equivalent: Use him! You only have a few years with your first and even less with subsequent children due to the snitching impulse. According to you, Santa is available day and night via Skype to report on a child's behaviour. He adjusts his lists accordingly on an hourly basis. He also reserves the right to allow certain behaviours sometimes and ban it completely another. He's a fickle fellow.
  5. The Tooth Fairy: A year round equivalent to Santa. It doesn't even have to be that expensive, tell your child that a 1p piece is a pound coin, cheap for you while sounding reassuringly expensive to friends. Total cost: about 20p
  6. Clothing: Dress your daughter like a Bratz doll until she's ten, she'll love you. And bought love is the best. Don't forget to add the eyeliner, it really stands out in the playground.
  7. Information: Answer your child's every question in great detail. Use power point and a pointy stick if you can. Include as many long and complicated words and expressions as you can. Pause frequently for effect. Take all day if you like, it'll soon put a stop to those pesky questions. That'll show them.
  8. Sleep: Allow your child to sleep anywhere they choose as long as they stay in their room. A laundry basket in the corner makes an exciting alternative bed, this way they stay there. Good for you, exciting for them. Everybody wins.
  9. Budget: Encourage low cost/one ball games. Discourage expensive hobbies. Tell them ponies bite/tennis players go blind/golf is a high death rate sport.
  10. Care: Husband/uncle/grandparent/random stranger can all be roped in to help care for your offspring and give you a break. If fact anyone over sixteen is fair game. Just make sure they understand the above rules and have at least one finger or toe that they can dial 999 with. Under no circumstances give them your own phone number, they will only call it. The police come faster anyway.

15 comments:

Nicky said...

If only I knew all this 10 years ago, I could have save my self so much! :)

Nota Bene said...

I'm not entirely sure this all comes from the Good Parenting Guide. But of course I'll just take your word for it.

san said...

Brilliant! Top tips indeed :-)

Tara@Sticky Fingers said...

"A good cake or, in extreme cases Money, can be used to bribe a teacher" - so THAT'S where I've been going wrong.
good job I came over here and read this! Cheers

Lauri said...

Oh my gosh! I am totally for real actually laughing out loud! A mom after my own heart!

I just now found your blog, and I'm so glad I did.

Clare Wassermann said...

Love the idea of Santa Skypeing! x

Expat mum said...

I live by #4. Little guy's birthday is in early June so half the year I use that as a bribe, and then we roll straight into the Xmas bribing!

Natasha Reddy said...

Competitions with Mum are great. We do this for music practise and reading: "Hey, let's see who can read this better, Mummy or you?" Mummy then gets to pretend she's a total moron, while siblings have a laugh and husband wonders whether his wife really can't spell "oyol" (Oil) or read "cooked" without a fake northern accent (COO-O-ked). Son (or daughter) thinks they're the bees knees and Mum's stupid. Better than any bribe and gets homework done super fast ("Hah! Beat you again tommorow, Mummy goose!")

...but then of course, MH, your advice, as always, is inimitable (another one I learnt to read out loud!). We do love you!
www.frustratedstay-at-homemum.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Too late, too late alas, for me and mine,I would have had more time for me perhaps, yet the results of my hit amiss approach seems to have produced a fine bunch.

den said...

thank-you so much for your encouraging words but more than that thanks for introducing yourself.
1st thing I saw was the horse. Made me smile and your 10 steps made me roar. carry on scattering your special sunshine.

Lawyer Mom said...

I'm liking number 6. A lot.

san said...

You're it! x
http://sandycalico.blogspot.com/2009/06/its-all-about-me-meme.html

Reluctant Memsahib said...

Santa via Skype? Enlightened. Truly, truly enlightened. (A bit late in my case - with offspring of 12, 15 and almost 18, but enlightened nonetheless. And do wish we'd had Skype in my day. As a parent of the very young, of course). x

Jeanne Estridge said...

Finally, someone who totally gets childrearing!

Katherine said...

Loved number 3 speaking as a teacher, yes cake works for me, any variety, any guise will do. Might try and bribe my kid's teachers. Just for sport, to see if it works!