Parental Hack- UltimateTrump card!!

I was told by my parents and elders, If I do something wrong then god will punish me (Samy Kanna Kuthum!! - God will poke my eyes).. After I grew up to know the right and the wrong, I always thought I shouldn’t use this as wild card to teach my kids behaviour. Little did I know then, it’s not that easy and they don’t have any patience to listen let alone my lectures. Especially if you are dealing with a stubborn pre-schooler with some ego (#TestedandVerified 5 yr olds have Ego).

When it comes to A, I  have lot more patience than my usual level especially when it comes to tricky situations.. If it’s an accident like spilling milk or breaking a cup by mistake. My usual response is ‘Its OK! Accidents Happen, I will take care of it’.. When he does intentionally, that’s when I get upset.. Really upset!! You would look for escape routes and emergency exits!!!

This happened long before when A was not even 5, he behaved so bad that he refused to play nice with a boy of his age when they visited us.. As a parent/Host you would know how awkward it gets. Even though everyone understands that kids have their dramatic moments like this. Guests left early 'coz boys started to make tantrums.. After they left, A was in his room quietly playing and just before he went to bed I told him ‘It is not a nice behaviour you showed today especially when someone visits us..’ .He wasn’t listening to me or ready to accept his mistake. But I do know he knew he made a mistake but just not willing to accept it(E-G-O). He kept making fun of me for giving a talk..I had to use my trump card , my ultimate life-saver card...

I told him ‘God is watching everything and  I’m sure he is going to punish you tonight by taking your toys and return only when you realize and say Sorry for what happened, don’t tell me I didn’t warn you!!’.. He didn’t believe me and dozed off ignoring me.

Next morning, he went to his room to check on his toys & he realized two of his favorite toys disappeared.. He didn’t say anything to me or G. He knew God took his toys.. He just started playing with other toys (this is where his Ego plays in- not to accept his mistake with us)..

We went to temple next time, G told him to say Sorry for the behavior.. You wouldn't believe what happened, it worked.. It worked like a charm. He did apologize and next morning his toys re-appeared in to his room "magically".

The point I’m making here is somethings especially parenting tricks which is verified and tested 100s of years and helped parents ease their work – Don’t ever challenge them.. it is not worth the effort and time. Just do it. They will understand the right and the wrong when their time comes. Especially for those rebels like me who want to challenge the norms.. if you don’t believe me, You will get your reality check once you have your kids..Good Luck..

Having said that, I’m still reluctant to use this excuse to correct him..  This is my ultimate trump card. I still try to explain him things my way.. 

“God only punishes” when there is no choice.. I can tell I used this only twice in last 2 yrs.. 

What do you do when your kids don’t listen? Tell me about it.. A doesn’t understand WHAT grounded means, I tell him you are grounded from playing cricket for 1 week..he starts to count down instead of feeling sorry for it. Any other tips??