Accidentally Scaring Your Kids to Death

Morgan has developed a new and annoying habit. She often puts her fingers in her mouth. It's kind of gross and I think she does it when she feels shy or awkward, and it's one of those normal kid things that kind of bother parents. So yesterday, their loving little auntie starts to tell Morgan that if you keep putting your hands in your mouth, you could get worms. She tells them that there are these microscopic worms that you can get under your fingernails and then I pipe in and tell them, yeah, and then they get in to your stomach, and come out when you go to the bathroom.....

Okay, so this is disgusting, but this is what our mom told us when we were kids because she was a thumb sucker, and it actually happened to her when she was really little.

Fast forward to bedtime.

Noelle cries hysterically for 35 minutes. When I ask her what's wrong, she says, I can't stop thinking about the worms.

Ooops. Fear tactic was a little too effective there. Maybe, I'll leave that one out of that how to parent book I was ganna write.