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Showing posts with label how to get your kids to help around the house. Show all posts
Showing posts with label how to get your kids to help around the house. Show all posts

6.24.2010

I Cut My Kids' Allowance This Week

I know, risky, huh? It's week 3 of summer break and I was running myself ragged picking up, cleaning, cooking, entertaining, all while pestering my boys to get their reading and summer workbooks done. Not fun. Oh, and on top of that I was paying them. I felt a little bitter. I don't want to feel bitter. I love those guys!

Marzipan came up with a marble reward system a few years ago that I halfheartedly attempted to enact way back then. My little one was too little, I was disorganized, the kids were unsure. Needless to say, it didn't work out. But, with a 7, 9, and 11 year old? I began wringing my hands together like a madman hatching a plan...this just might work!

So, everyone's allowance was cut in half and the remaining half will have to be earned. MMMWWHAHAHAHA!

I combined Marzipan's plan with a similar one I read about in Family Fun Magazine this month and Juniper's Marble System was born. It's pretty self explanatory through pictures:




A full jar yields $10 (it takes about 200 marbles to fill a jar, and they are earning about 10 marbles per day). They have completed more than the mandatory 20 minutes of reading and 2 workbook pages every day so far, along with picking up extra chores now and then.

I know many of you will write in that certain things are just expected and that allowance isn't for work done...That just didn't work for us. A lot of things were expected and there was a lot of arguing and nagging to get it done. I'm getting some help around here, they are getting rewarded, and both of us feel "in control".

Win/win as far as I'm concerned.

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