So, this weekend (while holding on to the end of my rope) I decided to try a new tactic. Since begging and pleading hasn’t been working lately, I decided I would try bribing…or rather paying them for doing their chores. I started it by giving them each $.25 for “making a happy plate” an putting their scraps in the trash, plates in the sink, and pushing in their chairs. This worked like a charm; Jaxon even told me how excited he was to “make money”. I followed this by asking them to bring me their laundry baskets for an extra $.05…again, charm! Tonight they will get another $.05 for helping Brent collect the trash, and their regular $.25 for their dinner duties.
It might sound like I am paying them for doing the things they should be doing anyway, but I am choosing to look at it in a different way....instead of getting one allowance at the end of the week they are being rewarded “in the moment” and that helps them to keep up with their chores. They take their money (with a huge smile) and take it straight to their piggy banks. As they get older I’m sure we will change things up a bit, but for right now, with them being 3 and 7 (with ASD) immediate rewards get better results than giving them an IOU. I would also like to add that doing this has taken a little stress off of Brent and I and our house is calmer and happier! I would love to hear your thoughts and how you handle allowances and chores.