Last night, I was at Walmart with my family. We walked out, and the Churro trailer was open and serving Churros. well, my son asked if we could get some. I winced a bit, but said "ok". So we went over and checked em out. The prices were reasonable.....The vendor asked how many we wanted...I said "ummmmmm" My son says "Dad, we can get 75 for like $15.00!!" I said "NO WAY! Thats too many....and you'll just get fat...How's that going to work for you getting into the military?"

Then I had an idea to get some desired "respect" from my kid. I turned to him and said "If you act like you're in the military every time you talk to me for a week, I'll get you 100 of them." He quickly says "OK!" With a big grin on his face. I explain to him that he must address me as "sir" before and after EACH AND EVERY sentance. If he deviates from that....EVER within the next week, he looses. So far, he has been keeping it up pretty well. Even when he gets mad, he still adresses me as "sir". I get some weird looks when we're in public, but it's great. People act as though I'm asking too much from my son, and he must be afraid of me, to be acting like that. Little do they know it's just a little bribery in motion. My hope, is that after it ends, he will forget it's over and he will continue to address me that way.

What do you think? Am I just "mean"?


*edit* I need to mention, that my son is almost 12, and has had a strong desire to join the military since 9-11-01. He was little, but he understood that people were trying to destroy our way of life and possibly take our lives as well....So he said (even back then) that he wanted to help protect our country when I was too old to.