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My eight-year-olds have gotten quite good at detecting when I'm pulling their legs. I never deceive them about anything serious, but I want them to learn to think critically about what authority figures tell them. My five-year-old is thoroughly convinced I can read his mind by putting my nose to his ear and smelling his brain; I established credibility when I was confident I knew what he was thinking. It works great for "I'm not tired" when he clearly is, or "my tummy is full" after two bites of food. Also, if he eats his eggs, at bedtime he will be strong enough to win a wrestling match with me.

I also enjoy planting small "easter eggs" for them...e.g. whenever we drive through the Holland Tunnel I hum the Super Mario underground theme, which I have explained simply as "tunnel music". One day they'll get it.