My second son is very impetuous. In an attempt to help him control his actions and emotions we've instituted a reward system when he manages to control himself - instead of a punishment system when he doesn't.
Last week he earned his first 25 "points" which could be redeemed for a prize.
He had tallied the points on the whiteboard in my home office.
The day after he earned the points I walked into my office and saw - written beside the tally marks - "GREAT JOB ON EARNING YOUR 25 POINTS! Love, MOM"
The thing is, I hadn't written it.
His 7 year old younger sister had.
What a great parenting example you must be setting for her! Well done!
Posted by: Mrs Catch | June 04, 2012 at 09:02 AM
Aw, it's so sweet when siblings end up being the biggest cheerleaders.
Good job there Mama.
Posted by: Dawn | June 04, 2012 at 12:58 PM
That is, actually, really, really sweet.
And I'm finding that rewards for good decisions work FAR BETTER than punishments for bad decisions. Even with my kids the age they are, rewards are far better. Now, to work on that "delayed gratification" step...
Posted by: John | June 06, 2012 at 11:42 AM
How does one notice and reward restraint when restraint is by its nature subtle?
Posted by: Karen | June 07, 2012 at 10:03 AM
I totally believe in positive reinforcement. I also believe in awesome siblings. That is great! And funny.
Posted by: lovelylici1986 | June 13, 2012 at 09:17 AM