• Kids

    The Bribery Debate

    I bribe my kids. I typically only offer bribes in special circumstances – like when I want them to do something out of the ordinary.  Today, for example, was a no-brainer.  The boys and I were at the park with friends, and I wanted to get a picture of all four of our kids together on a bench. Brogan, who was preoccupied with gathering sticks (he’s a hard worker man), was totally uninterested in my request. I asked him repeatedly to no avail. And then I dug deep into my bag of mommy tricks and said, “Brogan, if you sit down for a picture and smile, I’ll get you ice…

  • Holidays,  Kids

    Oh Santa, why aren’t you here year-round?

    This is the first year that Brogan really gets the concept of Santa. He knows that Santa brings presents to good boys and girls and being the self-aware toddler that he is, knows that where he lies on that “naughty and nice” spectrum is a little questionable.  If you’ve read any of my kid-related posts, you know that it’s been a struggle to find this child’s currency. And while I’m happy to report that our recent shift in focus on the positive and rewards versus punishment has shown us some improvement, there is nothing, I repeat, nothing that gets my little misbehaver to mind like the mention of Santa. Now…