Here's the quick background. As the mother of 3 kids age 3 and under car rides have become miserable. Elissa is actually pretty pleasant and independent most of the time. Ethan & McKinley, however, have become these little monsters who scream and throw down toys when handed the "wrong" one -- which usually involves a blind groping of the Cheerio-laden floor from the driver's seat. Screaming persists until that magical item or distraction can be found.
Jason and I decided yesterday that we really must take the blame for this. And it really must stop. Now. Otherwise we will have little incentive to get in the car, to be honest. We both had the same feeling. New car rule: no one gets anything handed to them from the front seat. I decided today that this was the only thing I could see working. Cold turkey.
Step one: Keep kids entertained while cleaning out car. Surprisingly, sitting in car seats that are out of the car is very entertaining. Check.
Step two: Remove every crumb and toy from car. After 20 minutes of vacuuming, check.
Step three: Convince kids that car seats are really more fun inside the car now. Check.
Step four: Announce, "Elissa, Ethan, and McKinley, choose ONE toy to take in the car for our ...RIDE (keyword that gets everyone excited and running for shoes)!"
Step five: Buckle kids in and explain where they can put their toy if they don't want to hold it, but emphasize that if it hits the floor, Mommy is NOT picking it up.
Step six: Drive to local Starbucks where Mommy gets a reward for cleaning out the car, and kids get a chance to celebrate a successful, short car trip. In the drive-thru, brag on each kid for still having toy with them.
Step seven: Return home and CELEBRATE! Everyone kept their toy, and no one yelled at Mommy!!
Step eight: Pray that they got it, and for patience, as I'm sure they haven't yet. :)
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