What are some sweet ways of dealing with your children?

I agree with "Fourandahalfdays" and I'll add time. Kids love to spend time WITH you as well as craving your attention. Do things the kids like to do...try to get on their level with them; by this I mean, when they are coloring, color with them...when they are playing outside int the leaves, play with them...take care!

Roll them in sugar.

Do things kids don't expect from parents - act spontaneous

1) making cookies - all of a sudden just start skipping around throwing flour everywhere and give them some and call it mystery dust - they'll be laughing so hard and then you have sprinkle each other - the face and smile will be priceless

2) say your going out and have all your clothes on the wrong way - backwards, inside out, upside down, shoes on wrong feet - she if they notice and say mommy or daddy you can't go like that - and sat why not - because ... well help me fix it then, and give them a hard time when they want to get your arm in the sweater, try first putting your foot there first - you'll get a big frustrated NO mommy, your arm!

3) If their is a girl, then borrow age appropriate boys clothes and if its a boy borrow girl age appropriate clothes. Tell them you bought them a new outfit for school and you want them to try it on to make sure everything fits before you throw away the labels and you have them laid out on their bed - so send them up to try them on - you should start to hear remarks like mom this is a girls outfit and pretend not to hear them and keep repeating just put it on so I can see if it fits OK, same with the girl, mom these are boys clothes, ignor all comments and persist I'm busy just put them on so I can see if they fit before I have to leave for the grocery story, so hurry up. The fun will be if they actually get fed up and just do as you say and put them on and come down stairs - then you turn the tables and say what are you doing in a dress? Or why are you dressed in boys clothes and not in the new dress I put out for you? Then just as their about to get totally frustrated, say, "Gotcha"! - and it will be a family joke and laughter for years.

There are a lot of creative age appropriate spontaneous gags you can play on your kids to make them feel they are still the center of your universe and gets everyone a good laugh without hurting any one's ego or self-esteem - it's to build on their trust and their feelings about themselves - and that it's OK to have fun laughing at ourselves, as long as peers are kept out of it - perhaps best friends might want to get into it but be careful with boundaries.

Lawrence Elliott, MD, BCS