July 25, 2013
I was so sick of the whining and crying and flat-out disobedience (you know the kind where they look you right in the eye as you're screaming at them for the one gazillionth time to do something and they still don't budge) that I was ready to try anything - ANYTHING - to stop it! Plus, I knew I needed some serious rewiring in my parenting to start acknowledging good behavior instead of always ranting on the kids about what they aren't doing.
I had a brilliant idea come to me. Late, late at night when moms can't sleep because they are filled with guilt and remorse for everything they aren't doing right.
A vase and a whole bunch of rocks.
Every time we saw the kids doing something good or listening they got to put a rock in the vase. Before bed, we'd ask them what things they had done good that day. For every good behavior they could remember, they got a rock. We told them once all the rocks were in the vase, we'd go to a movie.
I'll admit there were a few days where no rocks made it into the vase and I thought we'd never get to see the movies before they left the theater. Sometimes due to my fault because I'd forget to have the kids put them in at the end of the day. And other days because even the bribe of a movie couldn't get those two to stop whining about everything!
But we all persevered.
I wish you could have seen the look of excitement and accomplishment in their eyes as the last rock went into the vase and we headed out the door to see Despicable Me 2.
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