Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Bribery will get you everywhere

I've been trying for weeks to convince Daughter D to skip school tomorrow. She has refused. (This is the child who refers to our idyllic trip to Hawaii as "the time you made me miss a week of Kindergarten.")

Son D. and I are heading up north tomorrow to visit one of my best friends from High School. She married someone from Green Bay and we haven't seen each other since we had kids. It will be a very fun trip.

What child refuses to skip school? Mine, evidently.

So, today - which happens to be her 8th birthday - I presented my secret weapon. Book 4 of Harry Potter on CD. She's a bit obsessed with Mr. Potter at the moment and is about a quarter of the way through book 4. I dangled the chance to sit in a car for 3 hours and do nothing but LISTEN TO HARRY POTTER.

She hesitated. I saw my moment. I quickly added, "And when we get back, I'll sit and do an hour of math worksheets with you."

That, my friends, sealed the deal. And I successfully convinced my now-8-year-old daughter to ditch school for the day.

Those of you with 8 year olds - do you take the booster seat away immediately? Or do you wean yourself off it it?

Putting a child in a car without a car seat is going to feel so very strange, after all these years. (Yes, Daughter D is already as tall as many adults who ride w/out them just fine, but it will still feel strange.)

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

K still rides in her high-backed Graco Turbo Booster in our van, but when she's in our Civic, she just rides in the normal seat. She was doing it before she turned 8; sometime around September, I stopped using her booster in the Civic. She still uses the one in the van because it is just more comfortable for her if she falls asleep or whatever.

Suzanne said...

That's one serious scholar you have on your hands there!

Have a great trip.

Bridgett said...

I'm convinced that due to weight limits in Missouri Sophia will be in a booster seat until she is 12.

Math worksheets as bribe. It'd work for me, but my kids...candy would have done it. :^)

LisaS said...

Actually, Bridgett, once she's 8 she can get out of it no matter what she weighs ... for now, anyway. I keep waiting for the geniuses in Jeff City to change the law to make it another 2 years, like they did the last time the Boy was 2 weeks away from the limit.

But me ... I'm sick of car seats. Once the Boy's 8 (2 weeks!) it's up to him. I rather imagine he'll choose to ditch it just so he can lord it over his sister.

and yes, K, I have a child like that too ... he could definitely be bribed with a new math workbook. Sign of a sick mind!

LisaS said...

btw, K ... congrats on another year of motherhood!

Elizabeth said...

We had a booster seat removing event on his birthday :)

I'm not all done with child seats. It's so weird.