If I'm not mistaken, parents often bend the truth so that their child co-operates.
And, try as we might not to, we also use bribery.
Sometimes our bribes and truth-bending ways result in the desired effect and sometimes they backfire.
One of my friends once bought her upset child some chocolate while shopping to calm him down, because she just wasn't up to battle that day.
Initially, it had the desired effect.
But since then, it's backfired.
She's had to endure him chucking a tantrum every time she takes him to a shop that sells chocolate.
I would never intentionally scare either of my children to get them to do anything, like telling them there was a monster under the bed who would know if they didn't go to sleep quickly.
Santa's the exception.
He doesn't count _ he's not a monster and last time I checked, he doesn't hang out under beds either.
However, I unintentionally scared my toddler about something else and then paid the price afterwards.
Two-year-old P1 loves the outdoors, like every other child his age that I know.
One day I used the rain as an excuse to lure him indoors.
Quite rightly, I guess, but I was in a hurry that day, so my suggestion was obviously coated in urgency.
I think he got the impression rain might be harmful to him; his imagination seemed to consider something more sinister than a run-of-the-mill cold.
A few days later, we faced a walk from a shopping centre to our car way across its carpark under a sky that appeared to have sprung several bad leaks.
His pleading, concerned eyes asked me not to push the trolley out under it.
But again, we were in a hurry and although it was raining, the weather was still warm.
I was looking forward to the relief the cold droplets would afford my skin.
Plus, one look up told me it was set-in and if we waited for it to stop we'd be standing in that doorway for a few hours at least.
So I pushed on _ and was treated to a running commentary from him, in quite a stressed tone, the whole way to the car.
``Mum, it's raining, have to get out of the rain, have to go inside,'' he pleaded, wincing, while his nine-month-old baby brother clapped in delight at the spray from above.
I reassured him and he got over it pretty quickly, but it made me realise once again just how impressionable their immature minds are.
This parenting game requires a lot of thinking, but sometimes you just don't have time to think before speaking or acting.
Then you see the effect like this, even something so minor and end up feeling guilty for planting fear into your child's heart.
It only took a day or two to reverse this fear and get him out there jumping in puddles again, but it sure reminded me about choosing my words more carefully.
And maybe not resorting to bribery if I can avoid it.
_ Bree Almond
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