Empty threats

Every time we visit my in-laws in California, I spend the entire trip marveling at my sister-in-law. Somehow she manages 3 boys, occasionally sleeps, and still makes it to the gym every day in a head to toe adorable Lululemon get up. (I have one boy, barely manage to run once a week, and can't be bothered to match my Target PJ pants with my random long sleeve t-shirt from high school.) Needless to say, when she speaks I listen.

During our most recent trip, she was telling me how she's learned the importance of following through on what she says. As soon as you start to make threats that you can't keep up, those boys sense a crack in your resolve and immediately begin plotting your demise. For her, this means she sometimes finds absurd things coming out of her mouth that she must honor.

I thought about her sage advice and plan to live by it once B is old enough to care what I say. I think it's not only important to follow through on threats but also promises. My mom was big on this last one. She steadfastly refused to promise anything that she could not deliver on. I remember being in 1st or 2nd grade and begging and pleading with her to promise me that our cats would never die. She wouldn't do it and I was despondent. In the long run, however, it made me trust her. (It also taught me early that she in fact did not have powers greater than Dumbledore and Voldemort combined as I apparently once thought.)

Anyhoo, I believe that from a discipline standpoint, B needs to know that I mean what I say and he must listen. From a trust standpoint, he needs to know that when I promise something I will deliver. I know that the world is a scary place filled with lying scoundrels but I hope that at least while he's little he can be surrounded by people he can trust in this same way.

This is why I have a beef with VTech, the makers of his favorite toy. He is obsessed with his laptop to the point where I sometimes hide it away so I can bring it out when times get tough. It is such a powerful weapon that I am terrified that its powers will fade one day. The one problem with this toy is that it is full of empty threats. If he doesn't push a button for, oh all of 10 seconds, the laptop asks, "Are you home?" If he continues to not respond, it says, "Shutting down now!" Ok fine, battery life is precious and in this era of global warming he should learn that if he isn't going to use something to turn it off.

"Play with me or I'll do... nothing."

source

The problem is, the laptop is lying!!! It stays on, it is just trying to lure him back so he'll play. After it claims it's shutting down it waits a bit longer and then plays a little jingle. All the while it remains on and makes its usual horrendously annoying noises if he touches a button. How will he ever learn? Why does the toy need to lure him back? It's already been purchased so why do they care if he plays with it? Make it stop.

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