Cambridgeshire-born JLS star Aston Merrygold has shared a simple reverse psychology parenting trick to make dentist appointments less daunting for kids
JLS star Aston Merrygold has revealed the simple parenting trick he uses to make dentist appointments stress-free for his children – and it takes just 30 seconds to work.
The Cambridgeshire-born father-of-three uses reverse psychology to transform the dreaded dentist’s chair into a competition his kids genuinely want to win, rather than resorting to bribes or endless negotiations. The trick, which was first used on him by his own mother, has since been passed down to his eldest son.
During an appearance on the CBeebies Parenting Download podcast, presented by Katie Thistleton and rapper Guvna B, the Cambridgeshire-born star revealed what his dentist appointments looked like as a youngster.
How Aston Merrygold makes dentist visits with his kids stress free
He said: “My mum always used the trick on me, reverse psychology, to kind of make it a bit of a competition and to see what is the least amount of time I could be in the chair.
“It was a case of going, ‘Well, if you’ve got an appointment with a dentist, if he’s gonna see you for 10, 20, 30 seconds, then your teeth are great. You’ll be good to go’.
“If you’re in this chair a little bit longer, then you’re gonna lose. I’m not losing. This is not a thing.
“That really worked. He’s very similar to me, my oldest son, and it’s a case of just going, ‘Well, how long can you be? I’m gonna time you’.
“He’s just so excited about the end outcome. Whatever your child is into, maybe just try and take that in with them.”
JLS are ‘closer than ever’ due to their combined 10 children
The JLS star also shed light on why he and his fellow bandmates remain inseparable, and it has precious little to do with showbusiness camaraderie. Nearly two decades after JLS first burst onto the scene, the group have revealed they are “closer than ever”, and it is entirely down to their combined 10 children.
Aston explained: “We’re more close now because it’s almost like it’s not our decision to see each other. It’s our kids. They’re family, to the point of going, ‘oh, you know, my cousin and my other cousin’.
“They are honestly so, so close. It’s not really our decision anymore to see each other. Yes, we work together, we love each other, but now it’s like, ‘Okay, Grayson wants to see Valia, he wants to see Kiki or Hook’.
“It just is what it is. Now we have to follow their lead.”
To listen to the latest episode of CBeebies Parenting Download click here.
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