How could I forget

So we were walking home from daycare today, and in between my attempts to leap the various hurdles my toddler threw up between me and getting home to my second (OK, third) cup of coffee, I realized I'd forgotten two more tactics for dealing with walking strikes.

(The obstacles, for the record, included insisting on walking backwards, demanding to go to the store by walking past Noya's gan even though those things are in two opposite directions, deciding to spend quality sister time with Shalva by standing in front of the stroller poking her in the face and refusing to move... and more, including two walking strikes.)

So to correct my oversight, in addition to what I mentioned last time, there's also:

6. Count to three. Another parenting classic.

Benefit: Hopefully we all find counting to three easy enough.

Downside: Doing this is the parenting equivalent of walking down the street in your underwear. Nothing magic happens on "three." The Mommy has no clothes. You know it, everyone else on the street knows it. You can only pray that your toddler doesn't know it.

Not much will make you feel stupider than seeing people look at you as you count to three, knowing that what they see is you being driven to desperation by an opponent less than one-fourth your size.

7. Just drag them. Grab their wrist and start walking. They will be forced to walk too (note: they will not be forced to stop wailing like a banshee).

Benefits: Like "picking them up," this is almost always effective. Moreover, it's even safer than carrying - if your child escapes your grip, the worst that can happen is a trip and a skinned knee, not a head-first fall to the ground. And it's a lot easier to pull off when your upper body strength leaves something to be desired.

Downside: As with walking away, this is not a spectator-friendly solution.