Summer of Responsibility

Analise with her Chart

I knew going into summer vacation that I wanted to start a responsibility chart for Analise. There were things that I felt like she should be doing everyday without me having to always ask her to do it. I looked around for ideas; I read books; I talked with friends. In the end, I feel like I found what works best for us. I created a chart in a printing program by using a calendar and importing pictures. It's far from perfect looking, but it does the job. I had taken pictures of Analise doing each of these activities, so there is no doubt on her part of what she should be doing. If she completes a task without any reminders, she puts a sticker in the box. I chose seven things for her to work on:
1. Picking up after herself.
2. Making her bed.
3. Putting her clothes down the laundry chute.
4. Reading her Kid's Day by Day Bible.
5. Putting her shoes where the belong. (not in the middle of the room or hallway!)
6. Taking her plate and cup to the counter after meals.
7. Chores to help around the house. (They vary when the needs arise for mom. :))

Before she began we talked about this, and I showed her a contract I had put together. If she can complete her chart without reminders, no whining or complaining and maintain a positive attitude, then she can choose a reward. This too was something I did "research" on. I listed a few things she could choose from:
1. An extra 20 minutes of screen time.
2. Play the Wii with dad.
3. Bake something fun with mom.
4. Play at the park.
5. Stay up an extra 20 minutes later at bedtime.
6. A little spending money for the dollar section.
At the bottom of the contract is a verse reminding her she is working for the Lord and not for men.

I didn't want all the rewards to be money driven. Honestly, Analise is a quality time kind of girl, and money doesn't have a lot of value yet. Week one went well. As you can tell from her chart, she didn't get every task accomplished. Most of that was under "reading the Bible" and that's partially my fault. On a side note, I highly recommend that Bible! She and I read it together, and I love hearing her read with me. Good reading practice with lifetime benefits of God's Word.

Knowing that Maisie would want to earn stickers, too, we also implemented a method of promoting good behavior. Once again I got ideas from friends and books. I wanted the girls to work towards a common goal, to achieve it as a team, have instant rewards and rewards worth waiting for. It's pretty simple and nothing fancy, but it seems to be working. I bought some pretty little stones (that Maisie reminds me looks like candy) and I used a small glass. Each time I catch the girls doing something good, they get to put a stone in the glass. Once the glass reaches a certain point full of stones, we celebrate as a family. I am looking/rewarding for several things:
First time obedience
Using manners at the dinner table
Please and thank you
Not whining
Helping each other out
Maisie likes to pick up things to earn stones while Analise earns her sticker
Sharing
Helping
Those are just a few...the first week, I probably went over the top in handing out stones, but I wanted them to catch on to the idea. Now we are working on 'being caught" doing something that would make Jesus happy, and not always asking for a stone. :) Even little Sadie gets excited when she can put a stone in the cup. Our first celebration was our picnic at the park, and it looks like we will soon be celebrating again.
It's a commitment on our part to be consistent, but I am finding it's worth it. I feel better as a mom by encouraging the positive, and there is less nagging in the house.
Hopefully come the end of the summer, we will all look back and remember what has been accomplished in a positive environment. I want to be an intentional mother, and this is one way God revealed to me a method to use in investing in my girlies.