To wonder why counting to five has magical powers

[Dinobab]

Over my usually very stubborn 2 year old?
What do they think will happen when you get to 5?
Threats of time out get laughed at, threats to take toys away gets the toys chucked at me but have recently discovered a threat of "I'll count to five then you had better get out the kitchen/ stop trying to jump off the sofa/ let me change you're nappy" usually gets him to behave magically by about 4
What kind of magically voodoo is this? Why have I only just discovered it?
Will it stops working once he realises I can't cually do much after counting to 5

[catfordbetty]

I have no relevant experience, but I think the answer is to never get to five.

[gleegeek]

My dd did once ask 'what happens when you get to 3 mummy?' To which I replied 'you don't want to find out'. Apparently this satisfied her and counting to 3 worked til I didn't need it anymore. Tbh she is the type of child who doesn't push the boundaries much anyway so I might just have been lucky!

[afreshstartplease]

I count to three

For 2 year old if I get to three she gets time out, 95% of the time it works

With 6&7 year olds if I get to three they loose a privilege, again 95% of the time it works

[MyVisionsComeFromSoup]

I used to do this, and even now (DD1 is 22 and DD2 is 17) they are absolutely terrified of "the counting". Apparently I had a particular tone of voice I used which made it so horrible.

They had no idea what would happen at 5, just that it would be so awful, they really didn't want to know. Probably helps if you have imaginative DC who can fill in the blanks themselves. (I have apologised to them btw, and explained I didn't mean ot scare them much )

[Kleinzeit]

I remember it well and it is magic - used to count to three but quite slowly (one-banana-two-banana-THREE) and it worked for a very long time! Though I don’t think it really started working til DS was a bit older, 3-ish maybe. The count gave just him enough time to think and change direction, whereas piling up threats just got him more agitated and stroppy. When DS was older (5 or 6 ish) I noticed the instructor at the ball-games class used to give the kids a countdown from 10 to stop playing and put the balls away etc, and that worked too.

[Sychnant]

Yep, counting to 3 still works on mine and he's 13 in a month! I've never got past 2 and he's never asked what would happen. Luckily, as I have no idea... :D

[Pilgit]

I count down from 5. I have no idea why it works I'm just grateful that it does! Occasionally I have had to do something at 1 to reinforce the threat. Otherwise rarely get beyond 4 before there is compliance.

[TheSconeOfStone]

I count to 3 and it usually works. wouldn't have worked with either of my children at 2. I did 1,2,3 then removed child from what they shouldn't have been doing. Eventually no consequence was required as the habit was ingrained.

[Narp]

I found counting 1-5 was not magic, but 5-1 was!

[Narp]

Also, I found that saying to my (even a 2) competitive DS2 'I bet you can't' and 'I'll race you' worked wonders.

He's 12 and is wise to it but it still works

[TaliZorahVasNormandy]

Still works on DD and shes 8. The trick is to have something not nice happen at the end of 5 seconds. DD knows I mean what I say.

[MammaTJ]

I count to three and a friend once asked what happened when I got to three! I told her I didn't know as it had never happened!

[BathshebaDarkstone]

At school they count down from 5. I now do the same, saying "you don't want me to get to 1, do you?" Again, I don't know what DS thinks will happen when I get to 1!

[TaliZorahVasNormandy]

I think it might fall under the "Assumed Compliance" category. You give them 5 seconds in which you assume they will comply.

I'll keep using it until it stops working.

[icanteven]

I only count to 3 and the effect is ELECTRIFYING on my very-nearly-7-year-old. Hit and miss with the much more, um, decisive 4 year old though.

[CrohnicallyAspie]

Usually when I get to 3 I physically enforce whatever it is DD is stropping over.

For example-
Don't want to take your Elsa dress off? After 3 I'm pulling it off and if it gets ripped it's your own fault.
Don't want to get in the car seat? After 3 I'm putting you in there (with the aid of my elbow).

Now as soon as I get to 1 it's 'don't count mummy don't count!'

[catfordbetty]

Robomum, is that you?

[rallytog1]

Doesn't work for me. My 2yo must be broken

[cogitosum]

I cpunt down and my 2 yo imitates me

[AmpleRaspberries]

Works about 95% of the time here, if I get to 5 I enforce whatever I have asked DD(2) to do. Most of the time she waits until I get to 4 then springs in to action. Because of this I leave a bigger pause at 4, if she's in a particularly mischievous mood she'll say the 5 for me.

[raisin3cookies]

I count down from five, and almost always get to one with my 2yo. Then I say, "all done!" and physically remove her from the situation or take something off her, whatever. It works for me, too - just a few seconds to breathe and calm down from getting angry.

[AngelBlue12]

Counting to three works on DD's 11,8 and 6 but DD3 just shouts out GO when you get to three and starts racing around!!

[MyGastIsFlabbered]

I count down from 5 to 1 and very rarely get to 1, if I do all I have to say is 'you're in big trouble now' and that's it. I have no idea what the big trouble entails!

[APipkinOfPepper]

I count to 3 (occasionally via two and a half if they're dawdling!). It works on my 7yo as I have enforced consequences (eg leaving playground etc) in the past. It works on my 3yo as she sees the 7yo not wanting me to get to 3, and if it works on her big brother getting to 3 must be really bad! Having said that, a couple of times (after doing what I was asking her) she has turned to me with a big grin and said "1, 2, 4..."!!