Kids' Currency-Part 2

My second (recorded) attempt at finding and utilizing my kids' currency was a MASSIVE chore chart. I thought this would be easier than the quarter system. It just made everything VERY clear... who was responsible for what, when and even extra bonus tips like "Did you brush your teeth?" and "Did you clean up after breakfast?" In this system, when kids asked if they could go to a friends' house, I just asked if they had done everything on the chart for the day. That usually resulted in a lot of scurrying around to do whatever had been missed, and then they got to do what they wanted. Sometimes I'd get tricky and ask if they did all their chores the day before that. That would foil a kid doing chores on Friday afternoon only and thinking they could go to a sleepover that night.

Problem with this one was that I still ended up doing whatever didn't get done UNLESS THEY WANTED SOMETHING. As parents, we KNOW that kids ALWAYS want something. Unfortunately, this system was based on that and that was its failure. If they didn't want a privilege for a day or two during the week (privileges include TV, computer time, occassional sodas, going outside or to a friends house, etc.), then they didn't DO anything. So for a lot of days during the week, I was running around picking up shoes, unloading or reloading the dishwasher, feeding the dogs, whatever. Sometimes, I'd see a little improvement if I had something to hang over them...like a birthday party. I'd tell them that they could not go unless all chores were done every day leading up to the party.

Needless to say, this was short-lived. My kids aren't quite social enough, or our family schedule was just too busy, or I just didn't tweak this one enough to make it work. I moved on...spinning my wheels and making a total rookie mistake in managing the kids' behavior; they got what they wanted if I was so motivated. Period.

It was months before I hit upon a better system.