She may be super cute, but LMS has been having some behavioral issues recently, and we decided it was time to change how she acts/reacts to things.
Time outs only work for certain things and I didn't want to use chores as punishment; she actually likes cleaning the bathroom- I don't want that to change :)
After thinking about some of the things I've seen in the past that people have tried with their kiddos and discussing LMS's motivations with Mr M, we decided to try a version of the token system I've seen others use, but using pennies instead of tokens.
We had this jar full of pennies that we've been hauling around for several years (I already took some out- it was full to the top).
And I had some fun with my Silhouette and some empty Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter jars (they recently changed the formula- boo!).
I love all the Little Miss and Mister images :)
The idea is this: we give LMS a certain number of pennies at the beginning of the week. These go in the pink "happy jar", as LMS calls it.
During the week, if she misbehaves (whines, complains, argues, etc), we move a penny from the happy jar to the sad jar.
At the end of the week, whatever pennies are left in the happy jar go in her piggy bank. The pennies in the sad jar go back in our penny jar and we start everything over.
We've just started it, but so far I think it will be effective. How have you handled behavior problems?
I love token systems! We've had great success with "Love & Logic." I need to reread it every few months, just to remind myself. It's basically giving kids lots of choices and letting them deal with the natural consequences. I do use chores as a punishment--we call it an "energy drain" when OP is really driving me crazy and I ask him how he's going to help me get my energy back; it's usually by dusting or washing walls. :) Good luck! Whining kids are the worst!
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