Things that make you know you're doing something right.

[BigV]

You're exactly right, dar, on all counts. And we told him just that. I don't know of any other way to communicate these two important facts, especially since my response to each one is sharply different.

You misbehaved, so no reward.

You told the truth, so no trouble.

It was a wash in terms of reward/punishment, but it was win/win/win in terms of communication. I think of it as a sort of dress rehearsal for some other independent activity where the stakes are higher. Just as this is the real big deal for which he "rehearsed" back in elementary school, for example, when he asked if he could go to the playground on his own.