Dad Reveals Hack to Convince Kids Santa Is Always Watching Them
It’s the oldest trick in the book. Your kid is having one of those days and you can’t quite catch a break. You’ve tried everything from taking away tablet time, withholding TV privileges and a 10-minute timeout, but nothing is getting the job done. That’s when you turn to every parent’s favorite helper when it comes to discipline: Santa Claus.
Parents have been pulling out the “Santa is watching!” line for centuries, but today’s moms and dads are getting pretty creative with their storylines. Matt Coyne, of the popular blog Man vs Baby, took to Facebook to share how he tricks his kids into thinking the man in red has eyes on them at all times. Using the smoke alarm, he convinced his kids it’s a household surveillance camera monitoring their behavior 24/7.
And it turns out, he’s not alone.
“I posted something a couple of days [ago] about whether or not it was too early to threaten your kids with the whole ‘Santa’s watching’ thing. I don’t know why I was so concerned; it turns out some of you have been using judgey Santa as [a] bad cop since about July,” he says. “Hundreds of you had the same tip: Pretending that the alarm sensors or the smoke alarms in your house are some sort of Santa CCTV through which he is watching all the time.”
He even shared the tip he received from a fellow parent on how she takes the charades one step further.
“I particularly liked one mum, though, who takes all this to the next level. When her little [ones] are really kicking off, she holds some burnt toast underneath the smoke alarm. When it goes off she tells them that Santa’s just called a ‘code red’ and they’re in proper deep sh*t.”
Parents were split on whether the trick makes parents evil, geniuses or evil geniuses. While some some support the holiday hack, others see it as a potentially dangerous practice.
“Worst idea ever. It’s a fire alarm—don’t confuse it for anything else. Could save your children’s lives. If it goes off, teach your children to get out the house, not to worry Santa is watching,” one parent suggests.
“I’ll be sure to remember these if I ever feel the need to psychologically torture my kid,” another comment reads.
“I hate the idea of children feeling they are being watched in their own homes, the one place where they should feel safe and secure. Why is Santa and his helper elves being turned into bogeymen. Christmas is about joy and excitement, not fear and distrust,” another mom says.
If you are in support of the “Santa is watching” trick, other parents suggest using free Santa cam apps or looking for dollar store “Santa Cams” instead of using smoke detectors.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of getting kids everything and anything they want for the holidays. But here are some tricks on how to avoid raising spoiled kids and help them remember the reason for the season.
Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.
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