The Game Theorist's Guide to Parenting: How the Science of Strategic Thinking Can Help You Deal with the Toughest Negotiators You Know—Your Kids

Paul Raeburn, an award-winning journalist and father of five, teams with game theorist Kevin Zollman to apply economic and business strategy to parenting challenges. The book examines how children negotiate effectively and offers practical tactics to reduce common conflicts. Raeburn and Zollman draw on game theory concepts such as the Prisoner's Dilemma and the Ultimatum Game—strategies used in business and politics—to address recurring parenting problems like toy disputes, managing long car rides, and establishing homework routines. Each chapter opens with a typical parenting dilemma, then demonstrates how structured bargains and fair incentives can resolve it. Through case studies, the authors explore how parents and children develop strategies, where those strategies fail, and how to guide children toward happier outcomes while maintaining family harmony.