On your mark....

So how do I pull Eric away from the "Percy Saves the Day" DVD or YouTube.com (search: thomas the tank engine) without a prolonged fit?

I've got a great new trick that is working for now. If I ask Eric a question and give him multiple choice answers (beyond yes and no questions) often he will interrupt his meltdown to think (since I've given him the words to use) and then answer and then we whisk off to do that.

For example, the other day it was time to eat (chicken noodle soup, I think that definitely counts as 3 foods because of the chicken, noodles, and potatoes, but we got really fancy and sneaky and rrr-ed some carrots, tomatoes, and broccoli in the broth so that it isn't chunky! Sometimes if it is too orange he catches on...). So I said, "It's time to eat." "I can't like that, I'm watching Thomas." "You can pause it and watch it later but it is time to eat right now." Cue: Meltdown. "Hey! It's soup day (like every other day), so do you want the green bowl or the blue bowl?" They love those bowls because they have built in straws to slurp (or blow soup bubbles). Crying stops followed by "Blue Bowl!" "Ok let's hurry and get it." Lunch then commences.

My classic trick is "Wanna race?" (I love his goofy gait!) The younger is catching on to this too. It gets them totally focused on the race and not the fact we are going to tub time or nap time or some other non-preferred activity. Tonight their participation was duly noted. I lined them up and said, "Tub Time! On your mark..." Then the younger said, "Set..." and the elder yells, "GO!" And they raced down the hall to the tub. Totally cute.