Kids can (and will) test the limits of any parent, and this story is about an experience from my child hood.
For those that find themselves tested by the resourcefulness or your children, remember what my mom used to tell herself.
" I know these kids inside and out, and have a lifetime of experience. There is NO WAY that these kids can outsmart me!"
She knew us so well she could predict our actions or reactions. One of the most priceless phrases she has in regards to us is the phrase; " Honey, don't try and tell me differently, I KNOW my merchandise." LOL
This is an account of one of those incidents, where parent and child found themselves in the battle of Wills.
Hope You Enjoy it. (it still makes me laugh)
One Woman's Experience can help other parents have hope- and let them know you CAN outwit your kids- and show them who rules the roost. It just takes some imagination, and creativity. Enjoy.
~ Ilona
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Battle Of Wills
by Ilona.Toth
As a child, we lived on an acreage in rural Ontario. Both Parents worked and often we would get home from school a good half hour before my mother would. My brother, sister and I would scramble to watch television after school.
My mother disapproved, preferring that we do our homework. For the longest time, we disobeyed, until my mom had had enough. Frustrated with our stubbornness, she refused to be disobeyed, "They will not outwit me." And thus the "battle of wills" began.
One day we were shocked to find the television missing. When mom arrived, she smugly stated, "What? The tv is missing? What ever will we do?" Three quite distraught kids were convinced this was the meanest mother in the world.
Only once the homework was done, were we allowed access. During the day, It was locked up behind the doors of a cabinet in a wall unit.! This was to be the new routine. We were heartbroken.
For a two weeks we were forced to conform, until a friend at school unknowingly gave us a ray of hope. She had told us of her friend's similar predicament. He and his brothers were voracious eaters. Their mother had to put a lock on the pantry door to prevent them from raiding and emptying it of its contents. The boys' resourceful minds came up with the idea of unscrewing the hinges of one side of the Pantry door so that the full length or both doors would swing open as one, and reveal all its forbidden goodies.
At hearing this, My siblings and I looked at each other as sinister smiles invaded our faces. Our minds were on the same wavelength as we knew that we had an answer to our own problem.
From the Bus to the tool box, and were soon enjoying our favourite show. The dog unknowingly served as a lookout, and would get excited as my mom pulled up the driveway. In a snap, the doors were secured, the screwdriver was put away. Suspicious of three happy children, she went to check the tv cabinet. Still locked.
The three of us were ecstatic that we had won the "battle of wills". We were smarter! We were invincible. Our smug and arrogant attitudes were short lived, as my mother proved to us again- she is smarter than us.
Our victory soon turned sour the day my mother came home and the dog failed to warn us. When she walked in to see what we had done, we probably would have seen her jaw drop to the floor, had we not been so absorbed by the television program. Initial Fear quickly turned to good humoured cockiness as we pointed out that we had beat her at her own game. She just smiled. The next two days there was no lock on the cabinet.
The third day, we turned the tv on and nothing happened. Seeing it was unplugged we went to plug it in. We were unsuccessful. We would not be able to plug it in to the outlet. My dear mother had won the "battle of wills" in the most heartbreaking defeat ever.
You see, all prongs on every plug have little holes in them for some reason, and there, through one of the holes was attached the smallest little pad-lock we had ever seen.
Game over.
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