Allowance, etc. Update

Well it’s been a while since we started with the allowances and chores and it’s going well. My SIL said she had to read through the system twice and still was confused and it does seem confusing, I think, but in practice it’s really pretty simple. The key has been having the app to manage everything. If I had to do this with charts and actual money, I’d go mad. Still, there are tweaks we’ve had to make.

We started off by giving the kids an allowance (automatic) of 10 minutes of screen time but found that with the chores they do which earn them 5 min for each chore, they didn’t really need it. So I nixed that. The stars, which are their measure for good behavior, have been just right. They can earn up to 3/day. They’ve been a very effective tool for reminding the kids about “good choices,” “good manners” and “good attitude.” They’ve cashed them in (20 ea) for a trip to the swimming pool already and I’ve got a groupon to the Denver Museum of Science and Nature in the wings for the next family outing prize.

Tabby has been quite gung-ho about earning extra money, especially since she was required to contribute $10 for her hedgehog’s equipment (a drop in the bucket, let me tell you). She has vacuumed the couch and the main level and she’s done a ton of extra math, reading and writing work as well. And she’s been great about making her own lunch, though help is still required. I think I need to start teaching her some more chores, like mopping the floor and folding the laundry. It would pay off quickly! Ben is much less enthusiastic about earning money, but screen time is a great motivator for him, especially since he just found a new TV show to love, Phineas and Ferb.

It’s been interesting, too, watching them figure out how to work the system. I don’t care if they clean up their rooms on a daily basis. All I care about is if, at bedtime, their rooms are clean (playroom too). As long as they’re clean, they get their 5 min of screentime for this “chore” and it’s been a good motivator to keep things clean instead of cleaning them up when Mommy and Daddy say so. The whole point of this is for them to learn good routines and be responsible and hopefully that’s a good indication that it’s working.