We Are Not Above Bribery

Someone asked me the other day if there was ever a time in my life when I had to throw out everything I thought about the way it should be and realize that I was wrong. The answer is simply...Of course...I have a child!!

I swore that I would never bribe my child. There will never be a need I told myself. Commence your giggling now. I know I was WRONG!!!

When we started potty training, we rewarded (bribed) with stickers. Then we moved to matchbox cars, then onto candy we went. Once Ethan got the hang of it, we removed the reward. Easy enough, right? Yeah, ok, sure.

Ethan has been having troubles realizing when he needs to poopy in enough time to make it to the potty. This has been especially problematic at school since they are always playing, not to mention there are 9 other kids in his class. We finally gave up control this past weekend and let him know that it was totally his decision...to potty or not to potty...to wear a diaper or BBUs. It was all up to him. I took a lesson in reverse psychology, and boy did it work!! He decided he was going to use the potty on Sunday...YAHOO!!!!

Monday after work, I went by WalMart and picked up the Fisher Price digital camera that Ethan's been wanting for quite a while. That night, we showed it to him and said that when he decided it was time to use the potty completely at school, the camera would be his! Until that time, it sat out in plain view in the see-thru package just tempting him. I told his teacher about our little bribe and she was on board!

On Tuesday, when I picked him up, he had an accident. He told me "Mommy, I had an accident in my pants. I don't get my camera today." Same goes for Wednesday. Then the glorious day finally came. On Thursday, when I arrived to pick him up, he was sitting in a chair holding a bag of ice. Oh lovely. Turns out he had fallen right before I got there and hit his nose and it had bled a little. Once he told me all of that, he says "MOMMY! Guess what? I just went poopy on the potty at school and I get to have my camera!!!" Oh happy day!!

As soon as we walked thru the door he was itching for that camera to come out of the package. I felt bad because we really needed to get him cleaned up and his clothes changed. He was a trooper and held patient until it was time. I made sure we had batteries on hand, but who knew getting the batteries INTO the camera would be such a challenge. I had to keep repeating "Be smarter than the toy" over and over as to not chuck the camera across the room. The camera is waterproof, so the battery compartment is on lock-down...literally.

After many long minutes of struggles, we were in business. Ethan started happily snapping away and chanting "Mommy, say cheese!" Sabo, however, would not say cheese, much to Ethan's disliking. And I am happy to report (and now feverishly looking for wood to knock on since I am probably jinxing myself) that we have not had an accident since!! YIPPY!!!!!

Stay tuned for some of Ethan pictures to be posted soon. That camera sucks batteries like I have never seen before and they are already dead!!