We’re starting to “encourage” Master Liam — our resident 14-month-old — to climb the stairs himself now that he’s weighing in at over 10kg.
He's not just heavy; he is an outright safety hazard.
Especially for Laura, whose gait is beginning to mimic that of a penguin as we edge ever closer to the due date. But Liam being Liam, he doesn’t always want to play ball.
Why would he when Mummy or Daddy can carry him up the stairs at his behest?
That’s when we take full advantage of his formative brain and deploy our ace card…
TOYS 🧸
We will take his favourite toy of the week (currently Iggle Piggle; a ghastly thing, I must say) and toss it up the stairs. It doesn’t take long before he scurries up them, resembling something between a baby and a four-legged animal that just stumbled out of a pub.
Bar one time when he was having a tantrum because it was bedtime…
It works a charm.
With a bit of luck, it will continue to do so up until his little brother joins our ranks.
Just goes to show, //incentives// bribes don’t just work on babies. They work on adults, too.
A show of hands… how many here would be working the job they do if they weren’t paid at the end of every month? Anyone? Yeah, I didn’t think so. What about never eating a pepperoni pizza again for the hell of it?
My point exactly.
We all need a good enough reason to do the things we do.
Whether it’s to lose a few pounds so that we can enjoy Christmas guilt-free… or to refrain from waterboarding your boss because it will land you in jail… or, in my case, to keep writing or else rattle a dirty cup on the street.
There’s always “something.”
Nobody does anything for the hell of it… or at least, not in my experience.
And look, I’ll be honest — I am very much partial to a good bribe. 😈
In fact, I’m going to make you one right now:
If you’ve been eyeing up my gritty epic fantasy series (The Divided Region) for a little while now, today is a good day to get it.
Why?
Not only will you be saving a few bucks compared to buying the books individually, but if you purchase the e-book or audiobook edition in the next 24 hours, I’ll also send you the digital world art (RRP $14.99) for free.
But again, you only have 24 hours.
(No bribe is nearly as effective as one with a tight deadline 😉)
To get it while the getting's good, go here:
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/TDR-Bundle
DJJW