ABSTRACT
There are times when even the stoutest of parents is pushed to the edge of reason by a misbehaving child. The signs are unmistakable: the father, looking dazed, unshaven and wearing mismatched shoes, pushing the trolley aimlessly through the supermarket while little Edward screams at a decibel level previously unachieved by a mortal child. The father has long abandoned pleading with the child, and any effort to squelch the banshee screams with threatening looks only results in retaliation by the toddler. As beads of perspiration begin forming on the father's red face, in a ®nal act of desperation, he directs the trolley to the confectionery aisle and reaches his quivering hand toward the box of chocolate-covered caramels. Father feels a wave of calm descend, and gulping hard ± and nearly hating himself ± he manages to croon the fateful words, `If you quiet down, I'll give you a sweet.' Game, set and match to little Edward.
