A couple years ago, we wrote about coupons for kids — think: “Dad works out with you (push ups, sprints, etc.),” and “Mom takes you out for hot chocolate” — and since then, along with readers, we’ve come up with a few more ideas…
* Choose the dinner menu one night
* Stay up late to play Codenames with mom
* Dad helps you build a fort in your bed, then you sleep in it
* Go to the store and pick out the sugary-est cereal for breakfast tomorrow (Heads up from CoJ reader Sarah: “When we got home with our Trix, Cocoa Puffs, and Reeses, the two-year-old realized they had to wait until the morning to try it and then wept on the lawn in the dark for 20 minutes, refusing all comfort. In everything they do, they never stop being themselves!”)
* Drink Dr. Pepper at dinner
* Walk a friend’s dog around the neighborhood
* Be dad’s personal trainer for 20 minutes
* Mom takes videos of you playing ping pong
* Create a playlist for Saturday morning
* Take a relaxing hot bath with a candle
* A day of NOT having to take out the trash
* Choose dad’s outfit for the day
* Mom watches you play Block Blast for 15 minutes
* Come home to find warm cookies waiting for you after school
* Drive around the neighborhood in pajamas to count the Christmas trees in windows
* Play a big game of hide-and-seek (Pro tip: Anton turned on a “paper rustling” YouTube video on my phone, then buried it in the hamper, so I 100% thought he was hiding in there — BRILLIANT)
* Open one Christmas present early
* A whole can of whipped cream, to be eaten anytime you want
Adds a reader named Sondra: “I have five kids, and my middle son, Sam, gave me a coupon that says, ‘Sam is right.’ He said I could use it to settle any sibling dispute that he is involved in to cause me minimal frustration and stress. It was the best!”
Thoughts? What would you add? More coupon ideas here and here!
P.S. The #1 trick to enjoying family travel, and going on dates with your child.
(Photo by Dream Lover/Stocksy.)
