Years ago, a mom told me of a time when she was on an important phone call and her three-year-old son kept bugging her. In desperation, she went to the fridge, reached for a jar of jelly, took off the top, and handed it to him. Delighted, he sat gobbling up the entire jar of jelly with his fingers while she finished her call.

Parenting stress is real and we've all been there as parents. However, bribery and concessions are short-term solutions. They send the wrong message to our children, and they can cause more power struggles and difficulties later. 

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes