For the Child With Too Many Toys to Start

Four lines you can say out loud tonight. Word for word. Free to save.

What to say

1. We start with one kind of thing. Today it is the stuffed animals.

2. A room full of choices makes starting feel impossible. That is how it works for adults too.

3. Six stuffed animals go on the top shelf, and you count them out loud as you go.

4. When the shelf has six, you pick the next kind and I follow your pick.

When to use it

This is for the moment it actually goes wrong — not the calm version you rehearse in the car. Pick one line. Say it once. Then stop talking and wait three seconds. If they push back, repeat the same line, not a new one. Say the same thing for five nights before you decide it doesn't work.