Reward or Punishment..that is the question

I had a wonderful chat with Dallin's wonderful teacher the other day at the wonderful parent teachers conference. Of course wonderful Dallin is doing wonderful in school and I am thrilled. I am using wonderful a lot in the first part of this post because it won't be found in the second half...trust me. I feel it is wondeful to reward your child when they do absolutely wonderful in school and so a wonderful report card always results in the child picking a place to go to dinner...which is usually wonderful......uh hmmm.....usually. Dallin had his piano recital on Monday and of course my little pooky did wonderful and although we weren't going to take him out for grades until Saturday and were going to go home to the wonderful stew I had prepared before the recital to eat when we got home...I got persuaded differently. Greg put a little suggestion into Dallin's ear and because I let him pick where we are going to eat I was left we little choice...a lot of regret...but little choice. One word will actually describe what I am talking about:

chuck-A-rama [chuck-AA-ram-a]

-noun,

1. favored by Gregory

2. place where HE is overhappy and overzealous and overeats

3. place where Rebecca wants to puke before, during and after

4. easy to burn hole in wallet for mere pleasure of eating scones

5. characterized by a high price, ok food, and an overcrowding of UNIQUE people

synonyms- guttwrenching, loud, crowded, occasional hair on cornbread, watered down icecream

antonyms- Chili's, Cafe Rio, Brick Oven, Red Robin, JCW's......(the list is too long)

Now that you understand my dilemma you will understand why I had one of those nights where you are partly asleep and partly awake because your guts hurts so bad and your throat is so tight because you are praying that you won't puke the contents of your outstretched belly: (contents were scone, cornbread..the one that was hairless, and a roll dipped in blue cheese dressing...oh and a few onion rings and a few bites of rice pudding......) That's all I could find that looked remotely tolerable to me and trust me,,..I now know that none of those sit great together in your belly.

I've got to rethink this good grades thing because it ended up being a punishment for me. Now all you "chuck" lovers hold your opinions and thoughts to yourself. I know that the CHUCK has some good qualities too......I mean "quality"....................the coke was to die for!!! :)