Checking One, Two...

On of my friends at work has an 8 year old and a 4 year old.  The little boy is a handful like Erin.  Sharon and I share stories all the time.  I harbor no illusions that Erin is perfect.  Overall she is a good girl, but she has her moments so we need a punishment and reward system.

Sharon was telling me she bought a spiral notebook and came up with a check mark system for her kids.  Not sure where she got the idea, but I thought it was pure genius.  Like any good thief, I stole the idea and made it my own.

I took to the computer because I wanted something I could post on the fridge in the kitchen.  I wanted it visible to Erin at all times.  I sat her down and explained it to her.  She had a hard time understanding it at first, but now she's on board.  Tommy was the one that took a little convincing.  He picked on me about how "hard to hold" it was but now I think he sees how it's working.  I've even heard him tell her he was going to take away a check mark.

It's working like a charm.  She has about about 9 "chores" and tasks on her list.  They range from going poop on the potty with no accidents to giving the dogs a treat every day.  There is also a misc column.  I added it in the second week so we could reward her good behavior.  She also has to be on green at school and she has to say please and thank you to get a check.  I can tell her I'll give her a check or that I'm going to take a check away and she pops into line.  She gets so worried that I'll take one away.

At the end of the week we'll give her a treat of some kind.  Last Friday Tommy got her a little something from the dollar bin and you would have thought it was a diamond.  This week I think she'll get a shake from Sonic.  She loves them.  (Like mother like daughter)

Of course when I made the list I had to add a little bling to it so it has a chain of flowers at the bottom.  I wanted her to like it and get on board.  I'm always willing to try new things with Erin.  It's all part of the Jedi Mind Tricks we use on her.