Santa threat works wonders
He's making a list
And checking it twice;
Gonna find out who's naughty and nice ...
Yep, it's that time of year again when parents have an additional and highly effective discipline tool at their disposal.
Ye olde, festive "Santa Threat".
And with the technology we have at our fingertips today, the
possibilities are endless.
"If you don't get back to bed I'm sending Father Christmas a text," I warned Miss Four during one of her nightly get-out-of-bed acts.
"I'm looking up his number. Here it is, F for Father Christmas (randomly clicking away on my mobile phone)."
And with that she sprinted back down to her bedroom with the speed of Dasher and not a peep was heard from her until morning.
It helped enormously that we had seen the jolly bearded man the day before and had rattled off her Christmas list to him.
After scaring the living daylights out of her with his booming "Ho ho ho" when he unexpectedly popped his head round the corner at a children's indoor playground, she eventually plucked up the courage to tell him that she wanted: "Bubbles, Barbies and a swing."
"I want to see those bubbles floating up to the sky," he gestured, theatrically.
As he leaned down, I could see th e blue of a policeman's uniform peeping out from beneath his suit.
An ironic twist on the "If you're naughty a policeman will take you away" routine, I mused to myself.
The fact that he was young and trim, with cotton wool stuck to his chin, escaped her entirely.
But if you are after something a bit more believable than Santa Constable, there are other options.
For something more Hollywood, check out Santa's PNP (Portable North Pole) console (http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/home).
Key in some important information, age, what they want for Christmas, whether they have been naughty or nice and a photo and they receive a personalised video message from the man himself.
And if they need a reminder from time to time point to the webcam on your computer and tell them Father Christmas is watching. In this day and age, it's utterly plausible.
He sees you when you're sleeping.
He knows when you're awake ...
