A Real Bargain

My daughter -- seven years old -- asked me if a bargain and a compromise are the same thing.

I thought about it for a minute and then said that they aren't exactly the same because you can use the word "bargain" to describe a great deal you got on something you purchased.

Then I said that a bargain can be like a compromise, and I gave this example.

"Say you wanted 5 cookies, and I wanted a clean kitchen. We could make a deal, a bargain, that I would give you 5 cookies if you cleaned my kitchen."

And the future high stakes negotiator popped right back: "No--that's not a bargain. I'd only do it for ten cookies."

I think she gets it.

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