Week 24 of 52 - Learning and Earning

Where is my sweet three-year old?   Healthy independence is good, but the times of outright defiance left me wondering if someone had replaced him with a very small teenager.  My instructions to come inside followed by:
“No.”
“I not want to.”
“I’m not your best friend,” to which I replied, “That’s right, I’m not your best friend, I’m your mother.”

“It’s just a phase,” I tried to tell myself. Several time-outs and spankings later, a friend suggested I include a reward system. Use popsicle sticks or stickers she said. Instead, I used what really excites him.

Coins. Yep, some who know his extended family might say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

So each day starts off with 5 pennies and 2 nickels in the “Keep” baggie. Each small infraction moves a penny to the “Lost” baggie. Each big infraction moves a nickel to the “Lost” baggie as well as his usual punishment.

It’s only been a week and we see some slight improvements. He eagerly picks up the toys at the chance to earn more coins.  He excitedly describes what he will buy with his money, “A teddy bear, a pink hoe for mommy, and blue hoe for me.” (He’s also very into digging in the flower beds with me.) 

We also see him learning the idea of forgiveness. He was so happy at the start of Day 2 when all the lost coins returned to the Keep baggie. Never mind that by 8:30 am, one of those coins found its way back to the Lost baggie.

A coin lost to bad behavior brings frustration, “Just throw them all in the trash. I don’t like my money.”

But oh how he loves putting the coins in his banks at the end of the day.