Carrot & Stick Whinery
Singing along with me to to Donny and Marie:
" I'm a little bit bribery. "
"And I'm a little bit drop and roll."
As a child coming from a family of eight with at least another handful of foster kids at any given time, child labor was looked on kindly. I was the weeder, the dish washer, the laundress, the sweeper, and any other job suitable for a 3 year old.
I didn't want to dictate that type of slave labor on my own children, but at the same time, I think they should share the responsibilities of our family chores. PB cleans the kids' bathroom. Eldest is the pooper-scooper, garbage man to include recycleables taken out daily, and the dog feeder. Li'l man sets the table with the other kids' help. All must keep rooms tidy. All must put dishes in dishwasher. All must help with laundry. All must be reminded copiously to do their chores.
Then, there's the hard jobs. The dreaded yard work. Usually, that's all mine. Then, I decided a little slave labor was in order last week. So, here's how it went down drill sergeant style:
"You will help me pull weeds, clear brush, and lay down all 12 cubic yards of bark. You will be paid $3 an hour (see I'm cheap) if you don't whine. If you whine, you'll still pull weeds, clear brush, and haul bark, but you won't be paid. Any questions?"
I got 2 hours out of the little two and almost five hours out of the older one. Wow! Paying kids not to whine! What a revolutionary concept. Worth every penny.
2 Witty Comments For Me:
Don't forget the technique I just recently started borrowing from you - paying a bounty on found things.
I got almost all the water glasses returned and lots of water bottles returned.
It didn't help with my sunglasses but they mysteriously reappeared.
Ohhhhh so that's the trick, you have to PAY them to stop whining. I'll remember that tomorrow when the floor needs mopping!
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