--- title: The Weird Tricks Parents Have Used That Really Worked description: Try these weird parenting tips to help survive difficult situations from Hillary Frank, author of "Weird Parenting Wins." canonical: https://time.com/5492109/weird-parenting-tricks-hillary-frank/ author: Annabel Gutterman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-01-03T20:27:07.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:58:07.578Z og:title: The Weird Parenting Tricks People Have Used That Actually Worked og:description: Sometimes an offbeat approach is the best way forward og:url: https://time.com/5492109/weird-parenting-tricks-hillary-frank/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt070287d5374d7f72/698942874ee26249d0313b7b/weird-parenting-wins.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 6016 og:image:height: 3384 og:image:alt: Weird Parenting Wins og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Weird Parenting Tricks People Have Used That Actually Worked twitter:description: Sometimes an offbeat approach is the best way forward twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt070287d5374d7f72/698942874ee26249d0313b7b/weird-parenting-wins.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Weird Parenting Tricks People Have Used That Actually Worked > Sponsored content. 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Worth Your Time is TIME's culture newsletter, published Tuesdays and Saturdays to 40,000 subscribers as of August 2026. #### Who writes TIME's culture recommendations? Culture editor Eliza Berman writes Worth Your Time, drawing on TIME's critics and culture desk. #### Is Worth Your Time free? Yes. It is a free newsletter available at time.com/newsletters.  by [Annabel Gutterman](https://time.com/author/annabel-gutterman/)  ## Annabel Gutterman Senior Editor Jan 3, 2019 8:27 PM UTC  Young girl in a super hero cape and mask Young girl in a super hero cape and mask Elizabethsalleebauer—Getty Images/RooM RF  by [Annabel Gutterman](https://time.com/author/annabel-gutterman/)  ## Annabel Gutterman Senior Editor Jan 3, 2019 8:27 PM UTC Have a baby who won’t stop crying? Consider blasting some Jennifer Lopez, argues radio producer Hillary Frank, author of the upcoming book [_Weird Parenting Wins_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143132555/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time037-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0143132555&linkId=06268449b0f7ed69a58b97348ec311d8). Many books that outline [best parenting practices](http://time.com/5375704/happy-parent-books/) leave little room for creativity, offering black-and-white solutions to unique and colorful situations. That kind of one-size-fits-all guidance can make parents feel helpless, Frank argues. “If they work, yay, we’re winning at parenting,” Frank writes. “If not, we are lost.” But she knows there are a million ways to get your kid to eat broccoli. So she collected moments from parents and children alike, detailing real-life drastic measures that probably shouldn’t have worked but did. Want to spice up your dinner routine? Take your meal outside the dining room. Need to quell a temper tantrum? Hand your child a mood ring. Frank reconsiders everything from potty training to grappling with [adolescence](http://time.com/4929170/inside-teen-teenage-brain/). All kids are different, so who knows what will work for you. 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