Naughty

Someone's been naughty for several days now.

So, the laptop  has been impounded. And an old friend for discipline has been put up. The last time we used the Reward Chart, Jed was five years old and going through a growth spurt which included testing the limits of the grown-ups around him. It seems we are going through yet another growth spurt.

For my parenting principles, I subscribe to the teachings of the One Minute Manager especially that children must be taught to "catch themselves doing right". So, the rules are pretty simple.

Jed knows what he should do and when he should do them. If he does it without me reminding him, he puts a star with my approval. When all the stars are up, he gets his laptop back.

It's a painless way to discipline & motivate him, perfect for little goal-driven boy.

He works so hard for the stars, too. On the one instance that he was rude & back-talked me, I asked him to take out eight stars. He ripped them out, then fled to the privacy of the bathroom where he cried his heart out. After several minutes, he stepped out and asked forgiveness.

All is well. We will weather this tempest together and come out safely on the sunny side, with no hearts damaged or trust betrayed.