Bribery Works

I gladly admit to bribery as a parenting technique. Worries of giving my kids too many sweets seem to never appear. Maybe it's because we dangle the 'candy carrot' and rarely have to cough it up. For example, last night we ate dinner at a local restaurant and Cassidy started dancing on her seat and generally being a pain. She didn't have a nap, and since she is still getting over the flu, it was about time she should be going to bed. So Jeremy promptly informs her that if she settles down she can have a candy when we get home. She settles. Jeremy looks across table and I say, "If she's still awake". Jeremy puts on his commercial voice, "Offer good for a limited time only. Offer expires at midnight, no subsititutions or rain checks."