Bribing children to behave can be an expensive endeavor. We're likely to assume that they want things -- toys, games, CDs, outings of all sorts. And, for sure, they'll let us believe that.
But a lot of the time, the best and most motivating reward you can give your child is your undivided attention. As Howard Glasser points out in his book Transforming the Difficult Child: The Nurtured Heart Approach, we're much more likely to give kids our energetic presence when there's a problem; when things are going well, we're likely to grab the time to go off and do other things.
Try flipping that equation, and giving your full, excited, engaged presence to your child when behavior's good, and cutting it off with a quick time out when mistakes are made. You may find that your attention and enthusiasm are more motivating for your child than anything you could buy.
And while it may feel like you don't have the time to make it work, you'll make it back in not having to spend time and emotional energy dealing with difficult behavior. That's your reward.
