When R.C. is home for supper I usually try to make a little nicer meal than I would make if it is just the boys and I. Tonight we had salmon, mashed potatoes (because Max will only eat potatoes if they are mashed), salad with homemade lemon/dill/mustard vinaigrette, and some crusty bread. It was delicious...to all but Max. Max ate his bread, and potatoes, but his fish sat untouched on his plate. Our normal coaxing didn't seem to be working, so it was time to pull out a move from my childhood, one my dad had perfected.

Here's what you do. Tell the child you don't think they can do ________ by the time you get back. No child wants to give their parent the satisfaction of knowing they can't do something, so they prove they can do this thing. The child is happy they proved their parent wrong and the parent is happy their little scheme worked.

Here's how my little scheme when down...

Me: "Max, I bet you can't make one bite of fish disappear before I turn back around." (I was facing away from him.)
I waited a few moments, giving him some extra time and thinking about how smart I was to pull this little trick out of my hat. I knew my dad would be proud as I thought back to all the times this was used on me as a child and worked beautifully.
As I turned to face Max I was surprised to see all his fish still sitting, by this time cold, on his plate. Max didn't waste much time in speaking up about my scheme.
"Well, I guess that didn't work", was all he had to say. I would expect this response from a 12 year old, not a 3 year old.

Max:1 Mom:0
What's your secret Pops?