When Dan was little and went shopping with his mom, the words he heard most were “Don’t touch!”
When he became a dad and went shopping with his kids, the words he said most were”Don’t touch!” It was frustrating to shop with his kids. They wanted to touch everything. That’s what they see the big people doing. Thinking there had to be a better way, he decided to conduct some training.
“Guys, here’s how I know what I can touch in the store. I know that packaged things probably won’t break. I can touch them. Things that are not packaged get broken easily. So I look at the price tag and see if I have enough money to pay for it if it gets broken. From now on you can do the same thing. Feel free to touch anything if you have enough money saved up to pay for it.”
Now the words he hears most in the store are, “Dad, can I afford to pay for this?” A little time in training goes a long way toward happier parenting.
Jim Fay
©2009 Jim Fay, Charles Fay, Ph.d.& Love and Logic® Institute