They don’t call them “terrible twos” or “threenagers” for nothing. Toddlers are amazing little creatures. All of a sudden that sweet little lump of a baby is walking, talking, and becoming a fully-fledged person right before your eyes. But talking can mean arguing. Walking can mean running away from you in the grocery store. And being a fully-fledged person means disagreements and friction. But TikTok creator Haley (@haleyreidtay) has some advice on how to navigate getting your way with your toddler (without them even realizing it.)
“Once you have a toddler, you have to become a brand strategist in your household,” she explains. “The amount of rebranding I’ve had to do for just normal activities to get our 3 and a half year old to participate in them is actually crazy.”
What does that look like? Well, take broccoli, for example.
“Broccoli are ‘tiny trees.’ I’m the villager and my daughter is the giant trying to eat the tiny trees and I’m begging her, as a villager, not to eat all of the trees in my village. And she thinks it’s so funny and the broccoli on her plate is gone in seconds.”
Cucumbers? Well, did you know they’re the loudest food? They’re so loud when you crunch into them, in fact, that TK’s daughter announces “Everybody! Shut your ears!” as she munches through an entire one, since she finds the family struggling to keep out the noise entertaining.
Finishing baths successfully is much easier when you refer to yourself as The Royal Hair Washer and call your “client” “Madame” in a snooty voice. Getting into the car in a timely manner is easier when there’s a “storm” coming and the car is your boat. And who doesn’t prefer a “fashion show” to “getting dressed in the morning?”
It’s giving Bandit and Chilli from Bluey, which is the highest compliment I can give a parent if I’m being honest. Gamifying everyday tasks is a great way to get on a kid’s level and convince them that you’re not asking them to do anything that isn’t actually a fantastic idea.
Does it require creativity and enthusiasm on your behalf? Of course, but here’s the deal: it’s more energy up front, but you’re going to spend less overall by getting your child on-board. And it’s positive energy instead of increasingly-frustrated, negative energy.
So the next time you need your 3 year old to pick up their toys, “rebrand” yourself into the Clutter Witch, who will absolutely melt if you put those toys in the toy box. Or rebrand that toy box into a “baby fairy nursery” and all the little baby fairies need toys to play with…
And, truly, it’s probably not a bad idea for adults to flex some of those creativity muscles, either…
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