S.O.S

it's a swim-ring but I'm not expecting it to save lives or, indeed, souls. No, the second S is for sanity.
It's a sign of desperation when you are prepared to buy a pink, Hello Kitty swim-ring for your child to sit on at mealtimes - in the hope that THIS one will be The Answer To All Problems. Yes, we are deluding ourselves, but it claimed in a book that sitting on an inflatable ring at mealtimes helps children to stay put and I'm rather hoping that the diamond-level-bribe-quality of pink and Hello Kitty will add the extra oomph needed.
Daughter3 is the kind of kid who will insist that she IS still sitting at the table whilst on the other side of the room smearing pasta on the sofa - and now she is 6 and a half, the "she's just little" and "she'll grow out of it" excuses are wearing thin. Reason and reminders have failed, sending right away from the table Never to Come Back, ignoring, back to nagging - they've all failed...so, now we're left with all our hopes pinned (metaphorically, we don't want a hole) on a pink, Hello Kitty swim-ring. Please join me in praying to the power of pink plastic...I don't think my sanity can cope with many more jumpy-leapy-smeary mealtimes. And, before anyone decides to write it - all kids aren't the same, they don't all jump around like this, believe me, I have met other kids *smiles politely through gritted teeth*