My Newest Bribe

This week I took all three boys to the mall to buy Joel school clothes. On the way there I had a brainstorm: I could BRIBE good behavior out of them! (Sorry, Dr. Phil, I know this is not a "good parenting tip 101," but sometimes a mother is desparate to shop!)

My bribe:
The boys always want quarters to ride the mall "rides" and for the gumball machines. My brainstorm for this trip was to tell them that when I saw good behavior exhibited, they would earn a quarter. "Sometimes Evan will be the only one to get a quarter and other times Joel or Drew will earn one." This worked like a charm! They loved earning money and I loved not having to give them the "evil eye" or a silent sqeeze of the arm. The other benefit was they learned the value of each ride -- for instance, Joel wanted to ride a $2 "roller coaster simulation" ride but realized he didn't have 8 quarters. "Next time you'll just have to be even better to earn more quarters," I told him. (Note: I hope he's not THAT good, 'cause I can't afford to shop if I have to give out EIGHT quarters to each kid!)