in telling DS age 3 the 9 o'clock horses are coming

[Chasdingle]

Went down the pub tonite, its a family pub and DS didn't want to leave as was playing with his mates who are all older (when i say older i mean 5 and 7 years old), so told DS we had to get home as the nine o'clock horses were coming!!!

When my son was a toddler he had that little boy habit of fiddling with his winkie. I used to tell him the ding ding rah bird would swoop down and peck it off if he did that outside the house. I stopped saying it when he started saying it to dogs in the park.

The Ten Oclock Horses is a book by Laurie Graham. Have no idea of the origin of the phrase.

I confess I do use the bus driver etc to get DS to behave civilly when out and about. I don't mind being despised for it, I know I'm crap at asserting authority and I'll use any tricks I can to get out of hideous and stressful situations.

I'm guessing that in a few years my DS will be able to understand logic and reason, and will not need to be managed for his own and others safety.

Then I will be able to use normal, rational measures.

trashcan you need a tv series

I can of course just pick him up (and often do) but sometimes it's nice to not end a lovely activity with a screaming fit.

www.abbeypumpingstation.org/stories_9oclock.asp

Working link

YABU

I don't like all this.

Like the person who told their DC's the sensor in the bedroom was santas camera so they better be good. No, how's about teach your child to be good without being scared or thinking of things that don't exist.

I'm from that area and I've never heard of it.

Well to be fair, I try to make things exciting and magical for DS by telling him to look out for the elves or fairies and he reacts with utter terror but then he may be there most terrified child of everything ever. But it's like he assumes everything new is scary!

An acquaintance at work was laughing telling us how she told her 3 year old to stay in bed at night or "Dickie Darkie" would come out of the shadows and get him. WTAF?! I don't like it.

Eh?

Never heard of it and would backfire massively with pony mad DD1 she'd set up camp to wait.

Little sayings are not really a problem as long as you aren't actually expanding them to a threat. I do disagree with using father Christmas as a threat at which preschool pissed me off this year saying he was watching them lazy shits managing behaviour that way.

I've never heard of it but can't see why you wouldn't just say it's bedtime. Isn't there a risk in these imaginary threats of making the child genuinely frightened?

Dickie Darkie?!

Have never heard of the horses.