With Christmas just a few days away, kids are on high alert that they better be nice or Santa won’t be bringing them presents. Apparently, that is true for parents, too.
At my son’s ice skating class over the weekend, Kai got agitated when I had trouble tying the laces on his skates. A previous user of the skate left a knot in just the wrong spot, and Kai was squirming which makes it difficult to tie laces regardless. As he was his usual impatient self about getting on the ice quickly, he got upset when I didn’t get him ready fast enough.
When he is upset, Kai often says that he wants to go home, even if it is an activity he normally loves to do. And so, as I walked him over to the ice, he kept saying that he wanted to leave. When we got to the ice, the girls that help him skate came over. There were five of them for just Kai as many of the other kids in class did not make it this week. When Kai continued to protest about having to skate, I told him that he could take a break for two minutes, or go skate right away, but we were not going home.
He got even more upset with me and when I did not budge, he loudly told me in his best Donald Trump impression, “You’re fired!”
I could see some of the girls trying to stifle their giggles, as seeing a six year old firing his dad had to be hysterical to them. I tried to hide my own smile. Does he even know what “fired” means? How was he planning to get home if he fired Dad?
When I told Kai that he was not going to get to watch any videos the rest of the day, he finally went on the ice and skated. The girls were very nice to him and he soaked in all the attention he got.
But, he was still not happy with me.
The next day, at bath time, when I scolded him for not washing fast enough, he told me, “Dad, you’re not being nice. Santa is not going to bring you any presents.”
He then explained how he, Kai, would make a chart and keep track for the next five days to see if I was being naughty or nice. And, he would do the same for Mom, too. He must have gotten the idea of the chart from his school, as they use a daily point sheet to track performance on several aspects of his behavior. When he does well, he earns rewards.
So, after two days of Kai’s Christmas chart, you’ll be happy to know that I’ve now earned 40% of my presents. Three more good days and I’ll get 100%. But, Mom scolded him for something so he told her that she lost 20%.
Too bad, Mom. Lump of coal for you, I guess.
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