bribery

bribery...
it is quite simple
I wanted them to do something
they did not want to do anything

I really just wanted to get them out of the house
saturday was a rainy day which was spent without leaving the block
so sunday had to be different
saturday involved outdoor activity
but we were still pretty much land locked
so after I got back from the morning's cyclocross race I waited for the family to get back from dean's baseball game

once they were back they leaped into chaos
which made the bribe a strong part of the distraction from the chaos

dean had wanted a yo you and I have a BEST BUY gift card that I got for my birthday
so I asked the boys if they wanted to ride their bikes to the New Target
of course they asked if they could buy a toy
I explained the gift card for BEST BUY and looking for a yo you at the New Target
the boys were swayed from their chaotic activities
swayed but still in need of reminders and instruction every other second

once out the door and on the bikes everything was okay
rather than ride I kept to my feet
there are still some hills that four year old grant is not fully comfortable going up and others that I am not comfortable with the speed he can get going down
so I stayed on foot

running behind them to keep up
running along side of grant to keep him from crashing
running ahead of them to scope out the traffic headed out of the alleys
always stop at the corner
always wait for my instruction before you try and cross the street

we got a few DVDs at BEST BUY
just doing my part to save the economy
while the New Target did not have a yo-yo
so we did not buy anything... not the nerf refills for the nerf guns and not the sparkly skull and cross bones on the black plate
nothing... the lines were too long
Dean wanted something else... but I told him that he had a choice of something else now or a yo yo later
the response was guided
as I wanted him to understand that it is about setting out to get what you want and not just grab anything that is in front of you
so many bad purchases are made on such whims

we rode back and I put in the DVD
The Land Before Time... something picked out by younger Grant
Dean objected but I liked the age appropriateness of this film
good for them to watch things that move at that level
enough stop action PG13 for these young minds
they get exposed to so much at such a young age these days

so the bribe worked...
got them out of the house
got them doing something
it was a good time

but it was less of a bribe than just a carrot on a stick
sometimes we need a carrot on a stick