"Grandma's Rule" is a nice work-around for having to issue yet another instruction. Instead of saying, "Please put away your toys now," (a straightforward instruction), "Grandma's Rule" would have us hide the instruction inside a feel-good prize. "As soon as you put away the toys, we can go to the park/have a story/watch the movie/etc." Whereas kids often balk at the simple request, they frequently (though not always) run to do the same task formulated within a "Grandma's Rule" structure. Grandma's Rule uses the words, "As soon as" or "When" at the beginning of a sentence and "then" at the end. Please note that the formulation "If...then" is NOT found in Grandma's Rule. It is found within a BRIBE, as in "If you clean up your toys, then I'll take you to the park." Bribes put children in charge of the outcome, whereas Grandma's Rule leaves parents right where they should be: in charge of what happens next.
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