Give Them the Unexpected

Things around here are beginning to need a little tweaking.  My iron fisted rule on my family is beginning to slip a little bit. They just don’t seem that frightened of my wrath any longer.  (Even the Blackberry isn’t afraid of me, and she should be the little ….)

I haven’t read all the books in this house, a few hundred from the library, or watched hundreds of hours of movies for nothing.  I know that there’s nothing more terrifying than the tyrant who suddenly can’t be shaken.  When the scary character who yells suddenly gets calm, that’s the scariest part of the story because something bad is going to happen.  The only thing worse than that is to be the second cutest girl in the film and you’re running through the woods away from the maniac with the whatchamacallit and suddenly the fog rolls in.  We all know that girl is toast.

Too tired to be clever, I have become imperturbable.  They keep pushing and I just smile sweetly and correct them kindly.  They were wary by breakfast, ans when I pinched the 8 year old’s cheek and called him a scamp he looked downright frightened.  By 2:00 they were fighting over who was going to wash the dishes and who was going to clean the bathroom.  Genius!

I won’t work forever.  In fact, I give it until Monday before I have to switch tactics, but that’s part of the fun of my job.  Keep them guessing and they’ll never dare to stray too far off the path.

Need some inspiration?  Here you go, proof that unpredictability gets you good resultshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ornIWg0VG7g.