Delaying gratification, apparently is very good for kids according to studies, and the habits of childhood make us who we are as adults.
In the classic Marshmallow Experiment of 1972 involved placing a marshmallow in front of a young child, with the promise of a second marshmallow if he or she could refrain from eating the first while a researcher stepped out of the room for 15 minutes.
The follow-up studies over the next 40 years found that the children who were able to resist the temptation to eat the marshmallow grew up to be people with better social skills, higher test scores, and a lower incidence of substance abuse. They also turned out to be less obese and better able to deal with stress.
To help kids build these skills, and train them to have habits that must be accomplished every day even when they don’t feel like doing them.
I wonder if the experiment was populated by kids who actually liked marshmallows in the first place. But I can see where delaying gratification would be good for a child’s development.