Words are real life magic!

Dad of 4.5yo, here. As is typical with kids his age, he has a bit of selective hearing. So after getting frustrated at being ignored once again, and seeking a different tack, I stumbled upon a cool realization that was neat for both of us.Me: Hey, do you know about magic?Son: What?Me: Magic. gesturing with my hand I could use magic to lift that ball without touching it. doing the classic Haduken pose I can shoot a fireball with magic! pointing up Or, I can cast a magic spell and make a dragon appear right there out of thin air.Son: watches in rapt attentionMe: But that magic isn't real, is it? That magic is make believe. There's another kind of magic, real magic. I know real magic. Want to see?Son: breathlessly yeah!Me: I'm going to magically make something appear...in your head. Ready?Son: nodsMe: Apple... ... ... What do you see in your head?Son: An apple!Me: It worked! I'm gonna do it again...banana. What do you see?Son: A banana!Me: Yes! I bet you can do magic, too. Try it on me.Son: Orange!Me: I see it! A big orange orange!Son: Watermelon!Me: recoiling in amazement A watermelon! It's so big and real! Amazing, we can make things magically appear in each other's head, out of nowhere! Words are real life magic. But here's the trick, the magic only works if when one person is speaking, the other person is listening. It takes the both of us, right?Son: Right!Me: Let's make more magic together. When you speak, I will listen; and when I speak, you listen. Sound good?Son: Yeah!Now, as I'm sure everyone knows, parenting is a moving target. Some trick or nonsense might be good for a day, a week, a month but it wears off. Nonetheless, he had a much better night of listening after our exchange. We'll see how much it sticks. Even if it doesn't though, I still think it's a really neat thought about the power of communication. It really is magical that you can conjure images in others at will and I hope he keeps that lesson, whether it improves bedtime routine or not. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2Ot3ygV