bribery magic

The last several weeks I've been searching for a way to encourage my kids to help out more - sans whining - and get along better. Finally, I came up with an idea that was so simple, but just might work. I told Taylor and Paige that if they were good all week and got their jobs done, I would bring the lunch of their choice to school and eat with them. When I approached them with the idea, Paige was SUPER excited and was on board immediately. Taylor, the big 5th grader that he is, needed a little time to think about it. Initially, he was concerned that I might embarrass him (...who, me?). He perked up a bit more, though, when pizza became a factor (he's his daddy's boy, for sure).

Well, if you can believe it, they really came through this week! If ever Paige started to tease or throw a fit, all she needed was a 'lunch reminder' and she quickly went about doing what she was supposed to. Magic!

Monday was Paige's turn. All she wanted was a Frosty from Wendy's but I made her eat a sandwich first. It actually turned out to be a good time and we enjoyed our moment during the day to be together. I was a bit of a celebrity there in the cafeteria - all her friends turned to say hi and smiled a lot, but mostly just stared. One girl Paige didn't know all that well kept slowly scooting closer and closer on the bench until she was finally sitting right next to me. It ended with a hug. Paigey felt like someone special too.

Taylor's turn came around on Wednesday. I ran into Paige first who smiled and greeted me with a public kiss and hug. Taylor came in and was glad to see me, but played it cool. What 5th grader wants to look excited to see a mom, even if she does have pizza? He didn't want his picture taken, but I threatened to keep taking pictures if he didn't cooperate. He downed nearly the entire pizza all by himself, what a rock star! We had a nice lunch and I think I kept the embarrassment to a minimum. Phew-wee.