Can I get this Frozen purse? Can I get this game? Can I get a Lego set?
These are all things that my kids have begged for while running errands, pleading as if they cannot live without the item.
It’s starts with a simple question and then escalates to I love it, I really want it! Pleaseeeeeee! They can be insistent and ask over and over until I’m almost at the end of my rope and quickly losing patience.
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I’m losing my patience, they are on the verge of a meltdown, and we have shopping to do. I use this simple 2 step trick to cut them off before they have alerted the entire store to their desires and pushed me over the edge.
2 Steps to Stop Begging While Running Errands:
1. Acknowledge
We all have an innate desire to be heard and understood. Our kids are no different. Respond emphatically to their request with a simple statement that acknowledges you heard them.
“That’s a really neat truck.” “What a sweet baby doll.”
2. Ask
Follow your acknowledgement with, “not today, but would you like me to add it to your list?”
We do this no mater what time of year it is. Sometimes our kids specify and say yes add it my Christmas list or birthday list. Other times they excitedly reply, “yes add it to my list.”
Take it one step further:
Sometimes the first two steps don’t quite do it and we still have begging. I ask them if they would like me to take a picture so we can show daddy. Daddy for the win! This step almost always seals the deal.
You could also suggest taking the picture, so that you can remember it for later.
At least ninety-five percent of the time the must have item is forgotten and never mentioned again. If not, you have a picture to reference when they bring it up again and you are flabbergasted and have no idea which toy they are talking about.
The key to Success:
The key to this working is consistency. If you do this 3/4 of the time but give in and buy the toy 1/4 of the time, they are going to remember those times.
That’s not all:
In following this simple process, you are not only saving your sanity, but you are teaching your a child important skills that will aid them the rest of their lives. You are teaching them to resist impulses, delay gratification, and control their emotions.
