ATLANTA -- If Santa ever loses his night job, he's got a backup gig.
Mister C apparently moonlights as a parole officer, a prison warden and an angry nun, becoming Clint Eastwood in a Santa suit in the wink of an eye.
Don't believe it?
Talk to frustrated parents whose children believe in Santa Claus, and many will readily confess they have no problem telling children that the jolly old elf has a good cop/bad cop aspect.
"I tell her all the time that if she isn't good, then Santa won't come to see her," said Alfa Garcia of her 9-year-old daughter, Lileny.
It's an age-old tactic, reinforced by folklore, myth and even music.
One of the 20th century's most popular songs, "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," permanently etched into the collective American consciousness the notion that Santa withholds his goodies if children cry or pout.
In today's world, the idea that Santa punishes bad behavior has taken on a different dimension.
Part of that is due to technology, experts said, but part of it may also be stress. Children, at least those in the United States, have so many activities and expectations during the holidays that parents are looking for help wherever they can get it.
Often they turn to technology. Parents e-mail Santa and pull cellphones out of their purses at the first sign of a temper tantrum at a toy store or Publix.
One local radio morning show even has a special program during the holidays to help exasperated parents. Hundreds of parents have e-mailed radio personality Jeff Dauler, who claims to have a direct line to Santa, for help this year alone.
Called "Santa Scared Straight," the early morning segment on Atlanta's Q100's "The Bert Show" plays recorded conversations between Santa and a child who needs corrective action.
Santa doesn't actually threaten, he said. Instead, Santa tries to get the child to see that a little behavior change could result in the desired toy being placed under the tree.
"[Santa] tells them that I really want to bring this to you, but I hear you might be put on the naughty list this year," Dauler said.
Then something truly wondrous occurs. The child typically confesses, without any prompting, Dauler said.
For Regina Inman, the whining of 6-year-old daughter Makayla pushed her over the edge. She e-mailed Santa in care of "The Bert Show," explaining that she was at wits' end. Santa called Makayla.
While Santa and Makayla had a funny chat Ñ Makayla told him that carrots make reindeer have gas Ñ the threat didn't really change Makayla's behavior, Inman said.
The threats appear in many cultures, over hundreds of years.
In the Netherlands, for instance, Santa, aka Sinterklaas, has a seriously mean sidekick named Black Peter.
You think a lump of coal is bad? When Black Peter arrives with Sinterklaas on the eve of Dec. 6, he is said to kidnap badly behaving Dutch children and take them on a steamboat to Spain.
Germany's St. Nicholas also has a hit man, Knecht Ruprecht.
This bad guy carries a big rod. Good German children receive presents from St. Nicholas, but naughty children get a "prugeln," or what we here in the South would call a whuppin', from Ruprecht. In some cases, Ruprecht simply leaves a cane rather than candy and fruit in a boot that German children leave by the door.
"The children in Atlanta should be happy they only end up on 'The Bert Show,' " Dauler said.
Child psychologists still offer a word of caution. If you are going to use the age-old threats, focus on the behavior, not the child.
"Do not label a child as being bad or good," warned Vicki Carr, director of the University of Cincinnati Arlitt Child and Family Research and Education Center, in an e-mail response. "The child will internalize that he or she is bad Ñ and could feel that way the rest of his or her life. Labeling children is detrimental to their self-esteem, their self-worth and self-perception."
And besides. Santa might not bring you that spa gift certificate if you torment your children too much.
Keep kids' behavior within bounds
All fun aside, child psychologists remind us that threats, particularly empty ones like Santa threats, are not the ideal way to shape children's behavior. One way to help children be nice and not naughty is to act pre-emptively, they said.
Here are some things to consider:
-- Keep children on a normal routine, particularly at bedtime.
-- Limit activities. Even though the holidays are filled with plays, parties and traveling, choose wisely, cutting out all but the most essential.
-- Keep it simple. Children do not need dozens of toys, and parents do not need to stretch their budgets to accommodate the latest fad.
-- If you can swing it, don't shop with young children. That's asking for trouble.
-- When taking young children to see Santa or even visit relatives, try to go after they have had a nap, not before.
-- Plan your own schedule so you are not stressed out. Children pick up on parents' stress. If you are on your last nerve, chances are your children will be, too.
Virginia Anderson writes for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. E-mail: landerson AT ajc.com