Category: Children, family, and relationships

  • Parenting by imposing a bad alternative: The battle of the stuffed pig

    Parents universally struggle with fighting kids. Whether the battle concerns toys, TV shows, or name-calling, bickering opportunities about. Faced with fighting kids, many parents detect two unappealing options: Take a side and appear to arbitrarily play favorites. Or avoid intervening and hope they figure it out. I’m here to suggest a third way that can…

  • Should I ask for more? Three clues you might want to negotiate

    One of the toughest negotiation challenges is deciding whether to negotiate at all—whether to settle for a particular portion of our own lot or launch into a negotiation to obtain more. Should I press the car dealer for a bigger discount, my colleague for an alternate meeting time, or my kids to try harder on…

  • Win-win or win-whatever? Setting our sights just a little bit lower in negotiations

    Why is it that most people—even those who take (or teach) negotiation classes—still find it hard to negotiate? I’m here to argue for one of many reasons: the possibility that in many situations, most of us set our sights just a little too high. Anyone who’s taken (or taught) a negotiation class can summarize the…