I am not above bribery to get what I need. Some may say that bribing my children is the worst thing I could ever do, but I think bribery has a very valuable place in my world.
Getting my kids to put their toys away is just nearly impossible. Last week I stumbled across this clever bit of an idea. I pulled out their gummy snacks and declared that they could only have a gummy if they picked up a toy and put it away.
I went through about 6 packs of gummies, but the toys got put away without whining or complaining. There was a whole lot of giggling and racing to see who would get the next gummy. The toys got put away. The kids got their snack (plus some). The Mom got a clean floor. Everybody wins.
Tonight I pulled out the chocolate for bribe time - ahem, cleanup time... I found these really cute miniature chocolate bars from Hershey's. They are just so darn C-U-T-E. Actually, they're baking pieces in the shape of Hershey bars. They're intended for cookies or brownies, but they're just perfect for bribe time because the kids end up with the equivalent of less than half of a regular sized Hershey bar. They don't realize this, though. All they see is that they are getting lots and lots and lots and lots of chocolate. (Let's hope it takes a long time for them to learn that particular Mathematical concept.
So when you want something done and you're tired of begging, pleading or yelling --- pull out the chocolate and get busy bribing. Tell anybody who dares to criticize you that Mom said it was okay.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
A Little Bribery Goes A Long Way
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3 comments:
Heck bribery is a mom's best friend. I like you know if is so wrong but I use it all the time!! :o)
I'm all for bribing. I've never thought of this one though - I'm definitely going to have to try it! Thanks for sharing!
Of course it's okay. People respond through positive and negative stimulus. That's the same carrot and stick principle use for adults too. And kids never look at it as bribes but as rewards for playing games. The only downturn is, they might refuse to obey if the "carrot" is absent. Thanks for the post. God bless you always.
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