Obey Bucks

I saw on Pinterest last night a cool idea for a Chore Card.  So I made one.  Then I started thinking about what I could do to help my kids be more obedient.  I am tired of asking a bajillion times for some thing to be done.  1-2-3 and Timeouts don't seem to have the same effect for Daphne anymore.  Joseph still responds well enough to them.  I made "dollars" for a different project a few years ago for Daphne and they have sat in a drawer since.  

So I started the Obey Bucks Bank.  I would have made it all cute, but my printer quit working, so this is what it is for now.  The rules are:  I ask one time for a task to be completed.  It gets done, they get a Buck.  If I have to ask again, no buck.  Three times, they give me one.  If there is ANY whining or complaining, they give me one.  If they have to go to TimeOut, they give me one.  They can use their Bucks for treats (I have the "prices" labeled on the new bins in my pantry), Wii or TV time ($1/10 minutes), or playdates ($5/hour).  Prices may change as we go, but I wanted to keep the rewards simple enough in the beginning to keep them interested.  Daphne caught on quickly and did really well.  Toys got put away, she set the table, put her shoes and coat away, etc.  After dinner she was trying to figure out how much TV time she could get and get a cookie too.  :)  Joseph gets a few reminders more along the lines of the 1-2-3 approach.  But it is still working, just a little slower for him.

My mom reminded me that obedience is different than perfection.  Very much so!  I don't feel that I'm asking anything beyond what the kids are capable of.  They know where their shoes and coat go.  They know where toys go (I've labeled all the bins in the toy closet so there's no excuse!), etc.  I just don't want to repeat myself 50 times a day for one thing to get done!

BONUS:  She's learning about money too!  We don't do allowance.  We are all part of a family so we all contribute.  But rewards are important.  Everyone deserves and needs them.  So for me, this is an effective tool in many aspects.

I have to say that the 2nd half of the day was much nicer than the first.  The kids know the consequences and the rewards.  If they choose not to do something, I'm not upset because they know rules and they don't get the reward.  My stress at the end of the day was lessened considerably.