Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Bribery

We have an arrangement with our kids. It goes something like this: if we're in a restaurant and the server gives us an unsolicited compliment on the kids' behaviour, they get dessert. Dessert is not necessarily gotten at the same restaurant, although it makes it easier to keep tally when it is: sometimes we really need to get somewhere on time, or the dessert selection isn't worthwhile, or something. But there is dessert in it for the kids whenever a server compliments their behaviour with no prompting.

This arrangement has served us well, but it has started to get expensive: the kids have started to rack up the compliments, and it's harder and harder to keep tabs on what I owe them.

Which, I suppose, is better than the opposite problem.

5 comments:

Shan said...

I don't know that your title is a propos - strikes me it's just "parenting", what you're doing. You find what works and you store it in your parenting arsenal, bringing it out when appropriate.

My poor deprived children go out to a restaurant about twice a year. It's a foreign country for them.

Gwen said...

Fantastic idea. I think we'll implement it immediately. Well done, Clumsy! Well done, Ames!

clumsy ox said...

We've been devoting serious effort to reducing our restaurant visits. It's just too convenient to grab some calories out somewhere, especially when we have things like house showings.

So far we're doing all right on that front: not brilliant, but not terrible. We'll see how that goes for the next month.

Gwen said...

Have you had lots of showings?

Eryn said...

way to go girls! they obviously know how to get the goods. actually, i am sure they are just being good for the sake of being good, of pleasing their parents, they hope to get nothing out of it but their parents pleasure.