To Bribe Or Not To Bribe: Encouraging My Kids Best Behavior

Katherine Heigl with daughters Naleigh and Adalaide
Before I had children I would have sworn I would never bribe them to behave, to pitch in or to be respectful. Almost ten years into momming that inexperienced opinion has gone up in flames. To all the mothers and fathers out there I was secretly judging when witnessing the “I’ll buy you a lollipop if you get off the ground and stop screaming” technique…I deeply apologize. For years I tried the stern mom voice and the “look” you all know the one. Eyes squinted, lips pressed, chin titled to the side. It occasionally worked but it never really brought the best out of my kids and wasn’t really the incentive they needed to encourage positive behavior. Sure no one wants to piss off mom, or few sane people do, but is that really what I wanted my kids to be thinking when good versus bad choices arise? “Don’t piss off mom, don’t piss off mom, don’t piss off mom.” Continue Reading