(no subject)

[yendi]

Just added Warren Ellis's Weblog -- diepunyhumans as an LJ friend. Figured a few of you might want it as well. :-)


House cleaning is going decently. I've done two loads of laundry, have dishes going, and am about to tackle the litterbox (ack). Elayna has managed to find all sorts of new and exciting ways to dawdle, however. I've informed her that this may negatively impact her chances of getting any ice cream from Brusters. Bribe a child? Never!

Comments

[la-belledame.livejournal.com]

It's not a bribe. Bribes are illegal. There's nothing illegal about offering an incentive. If your goal is to get the house clean, then there's nothing wrong with a Bruster's incentive. It's appropriate.

If your goal is to teach her to participate in housecleaning because she's a member of the household, then I'd say an incentive isn't appropriate. But it sounds as if your goal is the former.

[gallowglass.livejournal.com]

Hurrah for doubled syndication allowances. Now I don't have to keep checking diepunyhumans on the web anymore. Its been an Ellis sort of week...

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Yay for Warren Ellis!

Elayna's driving me CRAZY with the not-cleaning. Good luck and strength to you...

[morenasangre.livejournal.com]

Now now now...

...it's called negative reinforcement ;-P

[elorie.livejournal.com]

If she gets the ice cream, it's positive reinforcement.

And, as I've discussed with hotcoffeems, a bribe is something you give before the face in the hopes of influencing someone's behavior. Something you give after they've done what you want them to is a reward.

There's also a hierarchy of ethics similar to Maslow's hierarchy of needs; at the bottom is doing something for fear of punishment and hope of reward, as you move up there's doing things because those are the rules, at the top is self-determination. I've yet to meet a 7-9 year old who was self-determined, at least not about cleaning their room....

[cissa.livejournal.com]

It is a perfectly logical consequence that if she spends her time dawdling, that time is not available for getting ice cream. It's her choice. Sometimes that works, if you stick to it, and it removes much of that great power-struggle aspect, which can free them to make other-- ice-cream-laden-- choices in time.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

We're just not sure it'll *work*... she hasn't had TV in days because she isn't allowed to watch till she finishes her room. Doesn't seem to be having an effect.

[gothwalk.livejournal.com]

I've almost got to admire that... don't tell her that, though. ;)

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

She's stubborn as hell.

Wonder where she gets that. Heh.

[sage-and-sea.livejournal.com]

Bribe, incentive, to-may-to, to-mah-to. I bribe myself with promises of ice cream if I get the house clean, dunno why it wouldn't work for the kiddo!