In honor of Mother’s Day, teach your children the time-honored way to get themselves out of a bad situation: Blame everything on mom.
If your child realizes that she’d rather not attend a particular party or other social event, have her say:“I can’t go- my mom won’t let me.”
If your teen is at a friend’s house or party, is uncomfortable and wants to leave, but does not want the other kids to know his discomfort (such as in the presence of alcohol or drugs) have him text or call you and say a predetermined code, such as: “Oh, my mom wanted me to check in with her at (fill in the current time, whatever it is)”. Then, have him say: “I can’t believe it! She says she has to come get me now!” Remember, Moms, do not ask questions if you hear or read: “I’m checking in like you said I had to.” Just go rescue your child!
Does your child need a reason not to try smoking? Tell him to say: “Are you kidding? My mom can sniff out when I forget to brush my teeth. She would kill me if I came home smelling like smoke. Or at the very least she would ground me for life!”
Do your kids already blame a bad hair day on Mom? A forgotten lunch on Mom? Oversleeping an alarm clock on Mom? That’s all okay as long as they know to blame Mom when it really counts.
Happy Mother’s Day
Naline Lai, MD and Julie Kardos, MD
©2015 Two Peds in a Pod®
