i had to take action

I have always said that I want to spoil my kids, just not spoil them rotten. I am now seeing what a fine line that is with my five year old and I am standing my ground! I think it must be his age, but all of a sudden he wants a toy everywhere we go (and actually gets snippety with me when I say no). He's a really good boy too, I can't imagine if he was a naturally naughty kid. All I know is that he is testing his boundaries and I need to pull back a little and make sure we don't give into things just because we are tired.... and both parents need to be on the same page or else we are in TROUBLE.

Tonight I made "Brody's Chore Chart" and from now on he is going to have to earn his toys or treats. It's kind of cheesy and homemade, but other chore charts I have seen are for older kids, so I had to make it up. It has 3 areas he can earn a star in. The first is making his bed in the morning. The second is cleaning his room at the end of the day. The third is helping take care of the dogs. These are three areas I eventually want him to be doing on his own without thinking and they are tasks he can easily do himself. I went to Staples and bought a pack of stickers. The pack tears off into sections that each have 24 stars. When Brody completes a task, he gets to put a star in that area. After he has used all 24 starts he gets to buy a toy or a treat (we equate each star as $0.50, so the toy or treat would have to be $12 and under). I put the chart on the refrigerator, hoping he will look at it every day and be motivated to use it. I will let you know what happens.

Piper wanted one too (she wants to do what ever her big brother does). Hers has two sections, going pee pee in the potty and picking up toys. We need to make hers simple since she is only two. It's never too early to try these things out, although I am thinking hers will take a lot longer. She was excited to put a star on her chart like Brody, instead of her usual Skittles for going pee pee in the potty tonight, so we will see!

The one thing I know about being a parent is... never give up on trying to make things work and be creative with them. Try different things to fix a situation, something will work and your kids will surprise you.