i hate that line

hate is a strong word. despite that i am given to exaggeration, i try not to use it very often. so i should say i strongly dislike when strangers try to motivate my children to good behavior with the line/not-so veiled threat "Santa is watching!". this happened twice recently when lulu was unhappy in a store and thus behaving less than desirably. the well-meaning checkers tried to help with the santa line not knowing that if my children grew up being motivated to good behavior because they want presents from an all-knowing portly old man, i would scream. i do not mean this as judgement on anyone else who uses that little tool for help with children, it's just not for me. one reason there is no judgement with me, is that most people know that my children are definitely not the models for good behavior. so maybe i should employ the "santa is watching" trick after all!

now don't get me wrong, i'm not down on santa. we just don't really encourage belief or disbelief. we're santa agnostics, i guess. though this approach did backfire a bit with tate. he learned all that he knew about santa on the street and suddenly we were no longer the experts on the man he called "the santa claw" (sounds like a perfect christmas horror flick doesn't it?). but i don't hate santa. i just hate using him as motivational tool. motives are tricky enough in life without confusing the issue, in my opinion and experience.

so we just happily walk through christmas time without making a big deal of the big guy. until someone else brings him up, like the checkers at walmart. the second well-meaning checker mentioned above referenced the elf on the shelf. gunga had an elf on the shelf. she thought he was adorable. i thought he was a wee bit creepy. given my personality, it might be surprising to know that of the elf, i am am not a fan. this is due to the whole aversion-to-santa-behavior-modification thing. but i was a fan of this clever (and only slightly caustic) post about elf on the shelf mommy antics. again, no judgement. if you are the gung-ho elf on the shelf kind of person, more power to you. it sounds like great fun and memory-making.

we all do it differently. the fun. the memory-making. the disciplining. the motivating. i'm okay with that. i just don't prefer anyone else to use their thoughts on santa to motivate my little ones. i don't mean to sound "holier than thou" in my parenting. believe me, i feel far from holy as a mother. i have my own tricks i resort to. i am sure other parents would not approve of my unabashed bribing with candy to get lulu to go from diva...

to darling for pictures in front of the christmas tree....

whatever works for you, right?