Many of you have asked me about a phrase in the newsletter entitled Handprints. The phrase was, "We had her dip her hands in a contrasting color."
One person said that he would have written, "We dipped her hands in..." However, that would mean that we held her hands and dipped them in the paint. My phrase means that we told her to dip her hands in the paint. Here are some other examples of that kind of phrase:
The doctor always has her sit in that chair.
The mother had the baby take a nap before going on their trip.
The teacher has the children read a book before they're allowed to go outside.
She will have her son wash his hands before eating lunch.
I hope this will help you to use that form of the word have with confidence.
Thanks a lot!