Call it bribery. Carrot and stick. Enticement. I call it leverage. Also known as the Santa effect. Influencing your child to do something or behave in a certain way by holding something over their heads or saying, "if you do ____/eat _____/clean up _____/put your choice here, then we'll go ____ /Santa will come/you can have dessert." The converse of that statement is "if you don't/then I won't." Sound familiar?
Well, I just stumbled upon the best tween girl parental leverage that should buy me good behavior for the rest of year:
Yep. I just bought Miley Cyrus tickets - she's coming to town in November. This is even better than Santa.
The girls are beside themselves excited. They know the deal - even though we have tickets, it's not a sure thing. Really bad behavior, crappy grades, really bad attitude, or other major transgressions can mean losing the privilege of attending the concert. Of course, it has to be something really big before I would pull the plug on their attendance. But I think it's important that they know that attending the concert is a privilege, not a right, and it's a privilege that is earned.
It would be really hard for me to deny them the chance to go. They love Miley, and I really want them to attend. So you know it would take something really horrible before I would say no.
So, Princess and Sweet Pea, take note: don't try me.
4 comments:
Years ago when I was railing against parents who buy their high schoolers cars, one parent told me it was the best investment she ever made. Her recalcitrant kid would do whatever was needed when Mama held the car keys as collateral!
Ah! Another local parent and I tag teamed Ticketmaster via phone and Internet to score tix to the November show ... in Newark! We were going to Hartford but Newark is on a Saturday night and nothing says loving like bringing your kids to Newark, NJ, on a Saturday night.
You are a wise, wise woman! She's coming here - though I don't know when because I just saw the commercial for it for the first time yesterday - but the boys are more inclined to want tickets to a WWE event so I need some different leverage material.
Now, if someone dangled Jonas Brotehrs tickets in front of me for their Omaha show, I'd do everything that was expected of me!
Miraculously, my kids hate Miley Cyrus. I asked The Boy what he thought about her music and he busted out his new favorite phrase: "Mommy, I think her music sucks." (Remember, he is six).
So with the money I saved, I bought myself John Legend tickets!!! August 13, MSG, baby!
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