by Melissa Willets posted in Parenting

So I almost asked a question in the title of this post: ?Does bribing my kids make me a bad mom"? Which suggests I?m eliciting opinions, which sure, okay. Go ahead. But I?m going to go ahead and answer that question: No. No, I?m not a bad mom because I constantly, day-in-and-day-out bribe my children. In fact, bribing my kids makes me a good mom. Let me explain.
I often bribe my 4-year-old to sit on the potty. I tell my kids if they clean their rooms, they can have a piece of candy. Or that if they stop fighting, I?ll let them watch a show.
I tell my older daughter she can stay up late if she helps me around the house. I also threaten her and her siblings with what I like to call, ?reverse bribes.? ?If you don?t share with your sister, I?ll take your favorite stuffed animal away.? And, ?If you keep talking back to me, I?ll cancel your playdate.? Oh, and while we?re on the topic of "bad parenting behaviors," I let my children have what they want sometimes when they just whine enough to wear me down. All day long, I?m threatening and bribing my way through parenting. But, despite what any child psychologist or study might tell us, I refuse to feel guilty. Instead, I feel awesome about myself. Want to know why" It?s simple, really. I have bigger fish to fry.
Yup. I have far bigger parenting mountains to climb at the moment, so the fact that I let my kids have a treat if they behave, isn?t concerning to me, at all. A...