Category: Children, family, and relationships

  • Many negotiations in a Mexican restaurant

    It never fails to amaze me how many of our daily interactions involve negotiation. Such is the point of this blog! But a recent trip to a Mexican restaurant really drove home the point, so I thought I’d relay it in the spirit of making life negotiable. Consider the following five negotiations, all from a…

  • Happier households through narrower choice sets

    Parents frequently give their kids choices: “What do you want to eat for breakfast today?” “What do you want to wear to school today?” And choices are great for enrolling them in the decision-making process. But often, to no one’s great surprise, kids choose an option that is not particularly attractive to their parents. “Definitely…

  • Negotiating while the iron’s hot

    In many negotiation situations, you have no choice about when to act. If your car breaks down, you’d better negotiate with the dealer. If your teenager brings home a biker, you’d better negotiate now. In more negotiations than you think, though, you can actually choose when to negotiate. Since picking the right moment—the moment when…