Some try to justify the use of punishment and rewards to gain compliance from children by claiming that we do the same to adults. “We wouldn’t go to work if our employer stopped paying us” they say.
Well, sure. We chose to go to work. We applied for the job, attended the interview, curated professional references, then showed up on the first day for training. We signed a contract agreeing on the terms of employment, responsibilities, and compensation for the job.
Children don’t sign up for our agendas and they haven’t willingly entered into an agreement. We lovingly brought them into our lives, and it’s unfair to expect children to share our priorities.
Read my article in Invisible Illness.