A move across the country, a new school, a bout of bullying and thus starting at another new school has made my 4-year-old ... challenging. For the first time in his life, he is aggressive. Rough. Angry. When asked why he has been behaving this way, my preschooler said, "It's embarrassing." I promised him I wouldn't judge. He took a deep breath and said, "I need the new kids to know I'm strong."

Of course he would say that. At his first new school, he was told he was too little to play, too weak to climb. Mocked for not knowing the things the other kids knew. Mocked for his different opinions. His different actions. His differentness.

I got it. My son needed the kids at his newest school to see him as strong. He wanted to assert his alpha dog status, become the Snoopy of the playground before the kids made him an omega Droopy. But as his mother, I need to teach him how to command respect without perpetuating the same behaviors that hurt him.

I tried it all: talking, therapeutic coloring, play dates, extra snuggles, ice cream, ice cream with sprinkles, ice cream with sprinkles and gummy bears, ice cream with sprinkles, gummy bears, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, bananas, peanut butter, Whoppers and a cherry on top. We also tried Tums. Nothing seemed to be seeping in.

At pickup, I watched my once-so-sweet 4-year-old push another kid and heard myself scream, "Stickers! I will give you a sticker for every day that you are gentle and kind. Just, for the love of guacamole, be freaking nice!" Stickers, it turns out, are not to be taken lightly. He shook my hand.

It's been 11 days. My son has earned a sticker every one of them.

This was a revelation in need of being tested. I tried it on my husband, coaxing him not to scream at the Eagles losing on television in exchange for a sticker.

"Fine," he grumbled. "But I want Spider-Man, not the Hulk."

Incredible. If stickers can work on the utter anger, isolation and despair that accompany being an Eagles fan, surely this sticker thing is being vastly underutilized.

I know that some look down on bribery, but I am not that person. I'm not just an endorser; I'm a pusher. And stickers became my new gateway drug.

I stuck smiley face stickers on the noses of my writing clients who remained kind to themselves throughout our coaching session. I handed one to the barista for not rolling his eyes at my super-obnoxious coffee order. (Can I have a cafe latte? Hold the latte.) I even gave one to my rabbit to chew on in exchange for not chewing the carpet. The sticker is mighty. And I'm not even talking the delicious root beer scratch-'n'-sniff kind!

Imagine an America where you got attention and recognition for just being a good human being (or rabbit). If at any moment someone could stick a Lisa Frank unicorn or a green Mr. Yuk face on your cheek just for not being a jerk, wouldn't you hold the door open or assist that painfully slow great-grandma across the street? (Was it really necessary for you walk to the store to buy a single clementine, Granny? Was it really?)

"But how can we mobilize such a sticker coalition?" you ask. I have a plan! With our friendly neighborhood postal workers, of course! Weren't we looking for a way to save the Postal Service? You can't tell me that there isn't some backroom filled with barrels of leftover 33-cent Titanic stamps. It's time to let go, Jack. It's time to let go. Can't we resurrect those stowed-away old stamps of windmills and eagles for a chance to lick-and-stick a little happiness?

Sure, there may be a few hiccups in my sticker coalition plan. For instance, maybe not everyone will like a stranger's essentially licking his or her face. But this will be a small minority, I'm sure. And there may be some small resistance to essentially changing the purpose of a great American institution, but no biggie.

These days, too many Americans feel as my son did. "It's embarrassing. ... I want them to know I'm strong."

You are strong. There is strength in kindness. Here. Have a Popeye sticker.

Katiedid Langrock is author of the book "Stop Farting in the Pyramids," available at http://www.creators.com/books/stop-farting-in-the-pyramids. Like Katiedid Langrock on Facebook, at http://www.facebook.com/katiedidhumor. To find out more about her and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.