Hey man, you do what you gotta do to get through the day. No judgment here.

Do it, but you need add do a mock up of the virus he can hold, and he should be called the Corona Elf. I’ve created a shrine in our house to Our Lady of the Cave, the Honorable Corona-Chan (google for images), and we pay respects several times per day. That seems to work on my kids.

Anonymous wrote:Just say the easter bunny is watching.

We did this, except it was the leprechauns who were planning to send things from Ireland for Saint Patrick’s day

Praise whenever you see one of the kids doing something you like and the other will follow suit. You just have to be careful you don't do it in a competitive way. Hubbie and I will even praise each other sometimes to get the kids to behave and that works wonders too. It sounds funny, but if you can praise your spouse about how nice it was he brought his dish to the sink after dinner (while keeping a straight face), you'd be amazed! The kids will follow his lead! 1, 2, 3 Magic also works well in our house.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No! Use rewards for good behavior, not guilt. This is tough for everyone, even them.0

This. Creepy elf shouldn’t be used at Christmas either.

+1!

Just say the easter bunny is watching.

You shouldn’t outsource your authority. If mom says no, it means no. Calling the Elf just teaches your children the Elf has more power than their mother. I know it’s really tough right now. I spent literally the first week at home almost exclusively focused on fixing behavioral issues I had been too busy or lazy to deal with. It’s a high front cost in time and energy but believe me, it pays off tenfold when your kids stop testing you and the house is peaceful.

Anonymous wrote:I would try some proactive strategies first, which you can't really do by scaring them into good behavior.

Figure out what is causing the tantrums. Is it the same thing? Different things? Are they better at certain times of the day? Do they work better together at times and separately at others? When you ask them to stop doing something, are you getting their attention and making sure they're engaged first?

Everyone is going through a tough time right now, even if kids seem to be enjoying no school and sleeping in.

I'm not OP but I like you, PP. Very sensible thinking. I'm hoping OP was somewhat joking about Elf on the Shelf. Plus, OP, if the point of the elf is that the elf reports to Santa -- Santa's next visit is much too far away for kids really to grasp or care much yet about how behavior this week really affects presents in December. It's asking them to think so far ahead to rewards that right now are not real in their heads, even if they're pretty good at delaying gratification. Smaller rewards, sooner, based on the kinds of thinking this PP above mentions -- that's the way to go.

I would try some proactive strategies first, which you can't really do by scaring them into good behavior.

Figure out what is causing the tantrums. Is it the same thing? Different things? Are they better at certain times of the day? Do they work better together at times and separately at others? When you ask them to stop doing something, are you getting their attention and making sure they're engaged first?

Everyone is going through a tough time right now, even if kids seem to be enjoying no school and sleeping in.

omg no

Weird AF

Ugh. Hate that damn elf. I wouldn't ever use it.

Anonymous wrote:No! Use rewards for good behavior, not guilt. This is tough for everyone, even them.0

This. Creepy elf shouldn’t be used at Christmas either.

No! Use rewards for good behavior, not guilt. This is tough for everyone, even them.0

Anyone else? My DCs are wonderful little humans, just thought it might be fun and help support me during those tough afternoons.