(12 small marshmallows) + (promise of unlimited computer time after school tomorrow) + (15 minutes) = (kid who can tie his shoes)

Mom volunteers in Seth's class for part of Tuesday mornings. Each week she quizzes each of the 26 kids over some knowledge or skill they are supposed to already know or will be learning during kindergarten. The teacher told her last Tuesday that the next time she would be testing the kids over shoe tying. Since Seth couldn't tie his shoes, she knew he had to learn in a week because she didn't want him failing her Tuesday test :-) Well, she and Dad procrastinated waited until Monday night at 7:30 to teach him. Fortunately, he's fairly easy to bribe. He said he didn't want to learn, but with constant marshmallow reinforcement and the promise that if he learned, Mom would say yes everytime he asked to use the computer tomorrow (unless he was supposed to be doing something else,) he learned in 15 minutes. He is now ready for Mom's shoe tying test tomorrow. He'll won't need to know after that anyway. His school shoes and gym shoes are both velcro, and Mom intends to keep it that way for a few years.