Bribery: How it Can Be a Mother's Best Friend

Okay. I admit it. I've taken to bribing my children at times in order to get them to try something new. I wouldn't use bribery for just anything, but for some things I have found it to be quite effective.

The "new" thing that my children have most balked at is trying new foods. My kids were always into pizza, burgers, tacos, and spaghetti when they were younger. Most other foods were considered questionable, and if it was green...it was considered off limits. Vegetables were not a part of my children's vocabulary. To mention eating a vegetable would always bring a quick "yuck" from their mouths.

But when I started my little bribery game with them, those off limit foods seemed a bit more appealing. Let me say that bribery was not my first option. It was the last option after the others had not worked.

First I would try putting just one spoonful of a food they didn't want to taste on their plate. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but some evenings they would sit there for an hour or more before even attempting to taste the food. By that point it was more of a power struggle than a food issue.

However, when I would tell my son, "If you will just take one bite of sweet potato, I will let you have an extra 15 minutes of playtime on your video game tonight" then that little bite didn't seem like such a big deal. Of course the hope is that the one bite will lead to him loving the food and it will get to the point he will no longer need bribing to eat it.

The one thing I never used as a bribery tool was dessert. As someone who has struggled with her weight, I did not want to send a message to my kids that dessert is better or tastier than any other food. So I always made the bribe one of their other activities.

This worked for me most of the time. It will work best, however, if you do not overuse it. If you do it too much, the kids may start to manipulate you with food in order to get more time at their favorite activity. Before you know it, they will be beating you at your own game. Kids are smart, after all.