George Clooney Revealed The Elaborate Santa Trick He Uses on His Twins Year-Round & We Have So Many Questions

Santa might be known as a jolly old fellow, but he can also be a threat. C’mon, what parent hasn’t reminded their kids to be on their best behavior this time of year because “Santa’s watching!” (I know I’m not the only one!) Well, George Clooney takes this lighthearted tradition to another level. He apparently relies on Santa to help him keep his 6-year-old twins in line all year long — and it’s one parenting strategy that’s a little confusing.

“They’re still all into the Santa thing, which is very helpful, because when my kids are acting poorly, let’s say in July, I have a call from Santa,” the director of The Boys in the Boat told PEOPLE on Monday about twins Ella and Alexander, who he shares with wife Amal Clooney.

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“And I go, ‘Hey Santa, how’s it going?’ And he’s like, ‘Everything’s going good. How are the kids?’ And I go, ‘Well, I don’t know. Kids, how are you guys doing?’ They’re like, [whining]. And then I get away with it,” he continued.

But when he pretends to call Santa, he’s actually on the phone with a friend. “I actually have a buddy whose phone comes up ‘Santa,’” he explained.

So he’s really going all in on this be-good-for-Santa bit, isn’t he? Unfortunately for us, Clooney didn’t go into further details, so we still have plenty of questions. Like, does he do this every time they have a tantrum? If so, that friend must be so stressed because I would be calling every. Single. Day. if it were my kids. How does he decide which behaviors deserve a call from Santa? It could be a little confusing if a tantrum this time gets a call, but whining another time just gets a warning. And, is Amal in on this? Because somehow we can’t see her threatening Santa when her kids get out of line.

Most importantly, isn’t threatening your kids with the naughty list (and, therefore, no gifts at Christmas) a little manipulative? Surely, there is another way we could teach kids to stop whining or throwing fits, right George?

Don’t worry though, his kids get him back.

In an interview with Access Hollywood, the Ocean’s Eleven star joked that his kids have athletic abilities. “Our kids like to club me in the head with whatever they have. A tennis racket, a baseball bat, whatever they have,” he said with a smile. (I wonder what Santa would say about that!)

These celebrity dads all welcomed babies after age 60.

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