trying to keep smiling: quick trick, one finger

One finger.

One finger.

Oooooonnneee finger.

When my sisters and I were little, my mom said this to us a lot. At gift stores, department stores, at the bank, in my grandparents’ fancy-schmancy living room, around anybody’s decorated Christmas tree, wherever we were where the things that we wanted to touch might break if we actually did, she said this.

And I have totally stolen this idea from mi madre. I use it all the time with my little ones, and (most of the time) it works.

Instead of constantly screaming, No! No! Don’t touch! No, no, no! How many times have I told you? No! Do NOT touch anything here!, getting my children in the habit of touching things with their teeny tiny pointer finger in a gentle way lets them do just that–have a teeny tiny touch of something they might break if they grab or pat it.

Of course, it takes practice, and of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, but like most of my Quick Tricks, it’s just something to keep up your sleeve for those times you feel like a broken record or when you need 10 more minutes to get through the checkout.

Thanks, Mom, for this one and for a gazillion other tricks you’ve given me to help keep me sane!