Daddy made a phone call

So, Sophie has been a little defiant with going to bed on time, which, lucky for us, is very unusual for her. Usually, I tell her it's bedtime and she can't run fast enough to her bedroom to pick out a book to read! But now, she received this wonderful gift from a friend (Natalie, we absolutely love the gift and Sophie has grown very attached to it!), a turtle that lights up and acts as a nightlight putting stars all over the room. She has named him "Tony the Turtle" and loves to stargaze with her daddy and does this every night when it's close to her bedtime. Every time I go in the bedroom and tell her it's time for bed and read a story, she throws a mini-fit. Finally, the other night, Tim decides it's time to tell Santa about Sophie's recent behavior.

So, Tim grabs the telephone and tells Sophie he's going to tell Santa that Sophie is being a bad girl and not listening to mommy and daddy. The conversation goes something like this:

"Uh, yeah, Santa? Oh, hi Santa. This is Tim. I mean, this is Sophie's daddy. Um, I don't know if Sophie should get any presents this year because she's not listening to mommy and daddy."

Meanwhile, Sophie is screaming in the background at her daddy and is asking to speak to Santa herself. Of course, there's no one on the other line and Sophie is hip to our game. She manages to still tell Santa she's sorry and please bring presents before she realizes there's no response from Santa. We quickly grab the phone and she is amazingly ready for bed. It worked!!! Now, this isn't our preferred method of parenting, but when it works, it's hard to not use it again and again and again! If only the Santa threat was available 365 days a year!!!