Is bribery the key to happy life? I don’t think I am alone when I say it is a big part of our households daily workings. I mean I try not to, in the hopes that my kids just friggen do as their told but 90% of the time I have to threaten something they love.

You can usually hear me saying “if you don’t do this, then no more electronics!” or “Fine! don’t do it! But I’m giving your iPad away to a kid that will appreciate it!” I recently told Mason I would cancel our trip to Great Wolf Lodge if he didn’t do his chores and unpack his backpack. He just looked at me and said “you can’t, it’s for my birthday” He’s right…I never would, I’m weak.

I was listening to a podcast about parenting, and getting your kids to do things without putting up a fight. In my eyes, it was unrealistic. I shut it off after about ten minutes. They were telling me I could simply ask my children to do something and if they refused all I had to do was explain the repercussions and the kid would jump to it! “Timmy, could you please put your Dirty Clothes in the hamper?” “NO!” “Well Timmy if you do not put your clothes in the hamper you will have no clean clothes and you will be forced to wear your dirty ones” Do you think my kids care if their clothes are dirty? Do you think speaking to them in a sing-song Mary Poppins voice will all of a sudden make them listen? Definitely not

Unfortunately loud Mommy voice and threats of toys going in the garbage gets things done around this house…I know I know, not parentings finest. You spend a day with 3 little boys whose ears don’t work that well and they think their parents are their own personal butlers…Bribery for the win!

Don’t tell me you all don’t bribe the crap out of your kids!