When I was in third grade, my two best friends and I collected stickers. Once a month, one of our moms was detailed to drive us “sticker shopping”: trekking around to the local Hallmark where we could peruse the spinning displays for the latest sticker sheets to add to our growing collection. Our jaunts were nothing to scoff at; we took pride in finding our favorites–for me, anything cats or Muppets–and happily smoothing the new sheets into laminated pages of our homemade sticker binders. Today, I have taken my love of all things adhesive and added it to my parenting stash of rainy day goodies and boredom busters. A steamy, hot summer day and tired of the beach/inflatable pool? A sheet of Peanuts Christmas characters or snowman puffies would cheer my now 7-year-old. And as my 3-year-old embarks on the wonderful world of bathroom hygiene, she is rewarded with the sticker of her choice, ranging from princesses to pumpkins. (How easy is it to make it Halloween in the middle of July, even if for a brief moment!). But just as it was when I was a kid, we break out the big guns–the scratch ‘n sniff sticker–for special occasions only: a lost tooth, remembering to make your bed without being asked…These moments are worth the scented stickers, the same kind my friend Amanda could get us only because she was “connected” (her mom was a teacher). If you’re looking for a small token or a motivator for your kid to pick up her room, perhaps a little sweet treat (sugar-free) is in order. We’re salivating over Tutti Frutti Scratch & Sniff Stickers
. In mouth-watering, fruit flavors like pineapple, grape and banana, this box of 40 stickers is ripe for the picking–and sticking. And at $2 a pop, it’s a bargain. The 8-year-old in me is so jealous…but then again, I am the mommy.
In a Nutshell: Scratch ‘n sniff can actually lure some kids into doing their chores. When bribery won’t work, we smell a great motivation tool that won’t set you back much at all.
