I can't believe I didn't think to use this phrase as we have been navigating time travel invention meltdowns over the past couple months. Our invention box is one of our most beloved activities in this home, but what we didn't expect to happen is for my 5-year-old to be so frustrated by the fact that he cannot invent things that have not been invented by actual scientists yet (Time travel, shrink rays, etc) We're at the point in his brain development where he understands logic, but some things are still beyond his understanding. We tried to explain to him that he's just not ready to build a time machine, but without a general understanding of how time and space works, he just wasn't getting it. That's when I remembered one of the best teaching tricks, take something that they DO know- And apply it to what they DON'T know. So, "It's just like". Example: You can't only drink chocolate milk and not eat any food. What your kid understands, is that chocolate milk feels like it is filling their belly just like food does. They understand that amount of logic, but not enough logic to understand the intricacies of nutrition. " Would we just feed the dog only water but not food? No? Why not? Water would make his belly feel full for a little while so why do we need to feed him food? Ah yes- because the dog would get sick. If we just gave him water, his body would be hungry because not all of his body's needs are being met by just the water." "So JUST LIKE We have to feed the dog food and water because his body needs both to keep him healthy, your body needs more than just chocolate milk even if it's making your belly feel full. And JUST LIKE How only feeding the dog water, will make the dog sick, only feeding your body chocolate milk will make your body sick. So we need to make sure we eat some other foods along with the chocolate milk you love." 💡 #kelsewhatelse #momtips #workingrocks #parentingmagicphrase #parentingtips #midwesternmom #kansascityinfluencer