One of the many joys of being a parent is mastering the art of what DSO and I refer to as the ‘Jedi mind trick’. Put simply, this is the technique where you plant ideas in your child’s head so they make the choice you want them to, all the time believing they have exercised free will!
At Little Bros stage it is quite easy - you ask a question like “Do you want water or milk?” Your happy with both choices - he feels like he’s made the decision! We’ve got at least another 6 months until he starts to responds - “Juice!”
Our latest campaign relates to Big Sis’ upcoming 4th birthday. In my experience the key to easy entertaining with preschoolers is a really good theme to hang everything off!
This year I’m taken with the theme “beneath the sea”. We can play pin the tail on the mermaid, decorate the invitations with sand, girls can dress as mermaids - boys as pirates and we can have a fish shaped birthday cake. Maybe blue cellophane for the lolly bags and some cardboard cut out fish hanging on the walls? You get the picture.
The only thing standing in the way of implementation of this brilliant plan is the birthday girl herself, who is insisting on the party theme of “orange”!
I have about 6 weeks to bring her around so I’ve started by locating her mermaid doll, a gift from last birthday that hasn’t been played with for a while and reuniting it with the bath toys. We are also reading lots of books about sea themes and have reminisced heavily about our last seaside holiday. I’m setting up some craft activities around shells and think I might hire The Little Mermaid from the video shop. I should point out that I haven’t stated and will never directly state what I think the theme should be!
The ‘piece de resistance’ is about 2 weeks out when I will make her a really snazzy mermaid tail. If I’ve played my cards right she’ll gasp in delight, put it on and cry - “Oh Mummy, I want to dress up as a mermaid for my party”!
Hopefully this won’t happen after the invitations informing all guests that the theme is “orange” have gone out - I can see it now, Big Sis at her “orange” party, dressed as a mermaid!
dress ups, jedi mind tricks, kids parties, kids party themes, mermaid
June 21st, 2007 at 1:55 am
Is there any reason a mermaid can’t be orange? After all, with all that blue and green how are they supposed to stand out in the ocean? I’ve heard that clashing with the sea this year is all the rage in Atlantis.
These aren’t the droids…err. this IS the tag you were looking for…
http://www.stepfamilytalk.com/seven-strange-things-about-moi/
June 21st, 2007 at 7:17 am
I am writing these tips down… T - 6days…
June 21st, 2007 at 7:52 am
Mmm, would the other parents find an “orange under the sea” theme too restrictive? A good idea for a compromise though, because as DSO and I have often observed - “the force is strong in this one…”.
Thomas, T-6 how exciting - “may the force be with you”!
June 21st, 2007 at 6:26 pm
Wait, let me get this straight - you know how to make a snazzy looking mermaid tail? Damn, if only I’d known before my epic internet search for Miss M’s tail. Don’t let her know you made Big Sis’s, or I’ll be seen as a bad mother! (again!)
June 25th, 2007 at 7:26 am
[…] Jedi Mind Tricks from Down With the Kids describes the machinations needed to get 4-year-olds to cooperate. It’s much easier with teenagers. Just say the opposite of whatever you truly want. […]
June 25th, 2007 at 10:44 am
Very smart this is, Yoda would say.
June 25th, 2007 at 11:11 am
Impressive!!
http://www.howtome.com
June 25th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
For every JEDI mind trick that initially works, my 2-1/2 year old daughter figures out how to counteract it within a month. I must not have been listening enough to Yoda in parenting class:-)
Good luck on your party.
Here via CFL.
June 25th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
That’s why when Girlie Girl was younger, I took advantage of her young age to make all decisions for birthday parties. LOL! Good luck!
Thank you for joining us at the Carnival of Family Life!
June 25th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
I love themed parties, your right it’s so much easier having a theme that you can tailor everything too.
Coincidentally I have a post going up later this week with party game ideas for a pirate theme that you may like to use or adjust.
June 25th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
Thanks Erica, I will definately check out your pirate game. I love kids parties (plus the excuse to eat all that great kid party food!), but they can be stressfull if you leave the planning to the last minute. I remember being up to 2am last year icing the fairy princess cake - never again!
June 26th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
Mind trick. This is sheer brilliance. I have a feeling you are using your jedi powers on me to make me link to this article, because sometime over the next few days I’m going to.
June 27th, 2007 at 7:55 am
Thanks Pete, I love a link - may the force be with you!
June 27th, 2007 at 4:32 pm
[…] “mum” (whose mum, she’s not my mum!) extols the virtues of using Jedi Mind Tricks on children […]
June 28th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
You’re good!
So, um, does “chaos” count as a birthday party theme? Technically speaking?
Just thought I’d ask.
June 28th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
I think “chaos” is a great theme. Unfortunately around here it is the theme for every day, so not special enough for birthdays
June 28th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
Ah, yes, you make a good point.
Now, how to make chaos special …..
August 25th, 2007 at 9:19 am
So I’ve been dying to know!! Was it orange or the sea??
August 26th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
It was worse - pink! Although Big Sis did wake up on the morning of the big day and announce that she wanted all the party guests to be dressed as ‘pink’ mermaids