My brother and his wife, Karen, have 4 kids (6 to 13), and are really great parents. I love that they go through all of the phases first, so we can watch and learn. Yesterday, as we waited for my mom's doctor appointment, David told me about a new thing they are trying with their kids that I thought was worth sharing. They have been really frustrated with their kids leaving shoes and stuff all over the house. He gave each child 20 one dollar bills, then set up a large glass jar in the family room. Any time they leave their stuff around, they say "Please put your shoes in your closet, then put a dollar in the jar." He plans to use the money to take Karen out to eat. The logic behind the idea is that the kids should feel the pain, not the parents. He also told me about a man in their church who was a child psychologist I believe, and someone that was very respected, who taught 3 simple rules of disciplining your children:
1. Use few words
2. Show little emotion in disciplining
3. Be consistent - even when it doesn't appear to be working, stay with it. Expect it not to work for a while. Kids will make more mistakes, but what they need is consistency.
Today I've been thinking how we could implement the money in the jar with our kids. Our main issues right now involve whining. Of course my first thought is where I can find an attractive glass jar. First things first!
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1 comment:
Brilliant! I am SO doing this! My daughters are making me crazy leaving wrappers and shoes and everything else lying around. This might also help me in the mornings when they leave the lights on in their rooms, and I am the one to go turn them off!
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