Quiz: Are These Tips For Working With Kindergarteners Or Working With Trump?
We've learned a lot about Donald Trump over the past few months.
Since the moment he was inaugurated as president, the public has gotten a sharper inside look at a man who was already in the public eye for much of his life.
Reporters have dug up tons of info what the man is apparently like as president -- what he likes to eat, how he likes to be talked to, what he likes to wear, etc.
Gather all these reports together and you practically have a list of tips for working with President Trump.
Oh, by the way, there's a funny thing about those tips: If you really want to have a laugh, you could definitely make a comparison between those tips and the types of advice you'd get for working with toddlers.
And waddya know, it's the weekend, and we want to have a laugh.
See if you can figure out which is which.
For Trump or toddler? After you serve vegetables, provide some ice cream -- but make sure they get one more scoop than the adults.
This one is...Trump!
A Time magazine report published this past week noted the waiters at the White House already know to give President Trump an extra scoop of ice cream after dinner.
At the dessert course, he gets two scoops of vanilla ice cream with his chocolate cream pie, instead of the single scoop for everyone else.
Time also added that Pence's preferences are catered to.
The tastes of Pence are also tended to. Instead of the pie, he gets a fruit plate.
For Trump or toddler? Compliment good behavior and accomplishments.
Trick question, this one's for both.
In an article for ABC News, Yale's Dr. Alan Kazdin suggested a tip for dealing with defiant children.
Notice good behavior and give attention to it. Anything you see that you want to happen more often -- let the child know you like it
Meanwhile, foreign officials were advised to compliment Trump on his Electoral College victory during his upcoming trip to the Middle East, according to the New York Times.
For Trump or toddler? When they throw tantrums, just weather the storm and show that you are not rattled by it.
This is another tip for toddlers from Kazdin, who wrote,
Your goal in a tantrum is to get past it. Stay calm yourself and your child will calm down faster.
For Trump or toddler? Talk to other adults who interact with them, and instruct those adults to not tell too many fictional stories, so as to not dramatically alter world views.
Trump.
A report from Politico on Monday detailed how White House aides have a habit of slipping false news stories in front of the president, which can sometimes cause him to react angrily.
The opening line of the report read,
White House chief of staff Reince Priebus issued a stern warning at a recent senior staff meeting: Quit trying to secretly slip stuff to President Donald Trump.
For Trump or toddler? When they are new to a setting, assume they know nothing.
Both!
According to the New York Times, foreign officials were told to "not assume he knows the history of the country or its major points of contention."
The site WeAreTeachers.com advises for kindergarten students,
Don't assume they know how to do anything. Teach them everything. How to knock at the bathroom door, how to close it behind them, how to wash hands, throw away towels … routines, routines, routines.
For Trump or toddler? Find clever ways to sneak in vital information while they're enjoying entertainment.
This, too, is a piece of advice from WeAreTeachers, which suggest using games to teach kids things you'd like them to remember, like their classmates' names.
I like playing 'I have, who has' games. I take their picture on the first day of school and create an 'I have who has' game with their photos, it's a great way for them to learn names plus I use their picture for everything.
For Trump or toddler? Keep lessons short -- their attention span may only last a few minutes.
That's Trump.
Nato officials were advised to keep their speeches to four minutes at the upcoming summit to ensure that Trump will pay attention for the whole thing, according to the Times of London.
For Trump or toddler? When upsetting news is being reported on the television, it's best to not allow them to watch.
In a story for which the Washington Post interviewed 12 White House aides, the paper reported that the president was in a happy mood during inauguration weekend -- until he turned on the TV and saw protests.
Trump then went loose, the Post reported,
Over the objections of his aides and advisers — who urged him to focus on policy and the broader goals of his presidency — the new president issued a decree: He wanted a fiery public response, and he wanted it to come from his press secretary.
And thus, the crowd size lie was born. Poor Sean Spicer.
For Trump or toddler? When they misbehave, step away and leave them isolated.
This is one is actually not about President Trump. It is, in fact, a piece of advice on how to deal with misbehaving kids from child behavior specialist Betsy Brown, who wrote in the Huffington Post,
Remove and isolate your child to a safe place away from you and the scene. No words.
For Trump or toddler? Informative television programs can be used to explain what makes some behavior bad.
On Tuesday, conservative writer E.W. Erickson wrote that he knows one of the sources who snitched on Trump and told the media outlets that the president revealed classified information to Russia.
Erickson, who's usually critical of the media, said that the leak happened all because, essentially, the president is hard-headed.
So some of the sources are left with no other option but to go to the media, leak the story, and hope that the intense blowback gives the President a swift kick in the butt. Perhaps then he will recognize he screwed up.
For Trump or toddler? To present complicated information, keep them engaged by repeatedly calling their name and using pictures.
Yup, this one is for the president, too.
The London Times reports that foreign leaders will rely on tactics used at the White House to keep Trump engaged during his trip this week, which includes using maps, graphs, and the president's name frequently.
Dead serious.
Citations: Donald Trump has four-minute attention span, Nato briefed (Times of London), How Trump gets his fake news (Politico), First days inside Trump's White House (Washington Post), Tips for Leaders Meeting Trump: Keep It Short and Give Him a Win (New York Times)
