Tip #4 Difficult kid? Manipulation and Reverse Psychology are your two best friends.

If you have a situation where your kid is acting difficult, give them a choice. In essence, give them the power over the situation. I used to have the worst time trying to dress my kids. They rejected any and everything I'd give them to wear. Then it occurred to me, let them choose what to wear. Now, when I say let them choose, I'm saying to "guide" their choices. I would let my son pick out his pants and then hold up two shirts for him to wear. Of course either shirt would compliment the pants. Give them a choice, don't give away the farm! Otherwise, my son would be wearing Buzz Lightyear pajamas complete with inflatable wings to the park. A little subtle manipulation will almost always work out in your favor. The kid is wearing acceptable clothes while thinking it was his choice. He now has a vested interest in what he's wearing. I do this everyday and have a 100% success rate.

Reverse psychology works great when you have two kids. In my case, one always wants what the other has, ALWAYS! When my son doesn't want to eat something in particular, I'll use his sister to get him to eat it. Just today, I tried to give my son some yogurt. Of course he wanted nothing to do with it. I simply asked my daughter, "Can Alex have some of your yogurt?" My daughter,being the way she is, answered as always, "NOOO!" So guess who comes running up with his mouth wide open. I pretty much got him to eat almost all of it. This technique works, but it definitely has a shelf life and expires before you know it. You just have to shovel as much yogurt into your kid before he realizes that he didn't want it in the first place. If your wondering how I let my son eat his sister's yogurt, I come prepared. I already had an extra yogurt hidden and fed her at the same time. It doesn't hurt to know a little slight of hand.

Practice makes perfect with both of these techniques. Pretty soon you'll have your kids begging you to brush their teeth and wear the clothes you want. Every time I pull it off, I think to myself, "These aren't the droids you're looking for. Move along." I'd be surprised if half of you get that! Happy Manipulating!