Confession time. I want responsible children who know how to take care of themselves and are helpful around the house. However, I have always struggled with making any kind of consistent chore list and holding them to it. Usually my OCD just propels me around the house and I end up doing most of it. That lack of consistency also means I have never done the allowance thing and stuck to it. Honestly, I am so terrible about keeping cash in my wallet that I often have to borrow from my six year old and pay him interest after I make it to the bank. But this week we are trying something new around here.
My son is obsessed with Silly Bands. If you are not familiar, these are basically jelly bracelets from the '80s. Now they make them in different shapes and colors so they look like something cute (dinosaur, crown, fish, whatever...) and then you can stretch out the shape and wear them as a bracelet. We got our first pack as a sweet gift from Zella's VBS leader. She is the best little sharer in the whole world so she split a pack with her brother. I figured we would be over these in no time but both kids managed to hold on to theirs for the whole week they camped with my parents. I gave in and bought the $2 knock off pack from Walgreens for each of them. They loved these so much that they wanted to spend their own $2 for another pack each.
Here is where the "responsibility" and "bribery" meet. Zander informed me that he would be willing to work for Silly Bands. Sounded good to me! We sat down and made a list of 4 daily jobs: make the bed and get dressed, clear your plate after every meal, clean your room each day, and be a helper when I ask. In return he gets a silly band each night he completes all the items on his list. So- what do you think? Did I make his list too hard, too easy, or just right? I have to say that at $2 for 12 bands this is the cheapest allowance on the face of the earth. What do you do to foster responsibility at your house?
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I'm with you on all of the above-giving allowance, sticking to chore charts, borrowing from my kids! It's definitely not too hard of a list, they are capable of so much more than we give them credit for. I think it's also important to have a job that benefits the family as a whole, like helping with dinner, taking out trash, cleaning family spaces. However, I'm not a huge believer in giving money (allowance) for chores. I have in the past, but come to the conclusion that their "payment" is a roof, food, and clothes. I just get them little things from time to time and if they want to save for something big, they can do extra-big jobs for us or grandparents & save b-day money. Allie saved for half of the X-box and we matched it and she was maybe 8 years old! That's my 2-cents & I'm certainly no expert, though almost 13 (yes, 13! AGH!!!) years of being a mom has taught me a little :)
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