Holy Cow! but the Token Jar is Still Full

The past month and a half has been FULL of unexpected events, change, and general stress! I'm talking a huge, disappointing job/ministry loss; a ton of travel (as a family, then as just the parents, then as just mom), which meant a LOT of different environments for the kids; the unexpected death of one of our best friends; and the consideration of and initial preparation for a cross-country move.

(Bear in mind that I am receiving absolutely NO remuneration for promoting this discipline system as you read on...)

Having the system implemented in our family has been a lifesaver!

While my original intent was to write weekly and capture every nuance of the integration of the FAMILY RULES system, I haven't been able to do that, for obvious reasons. So, I'm going to rack this weary brain of mine and try to remember what I wanted to share with you! This may go on for a few entries. :)


WEEK ONE OF FUN

Truth be told, I was nervous about starting the program. After all, EVERYONE in the family has to follow all the rules, including the parents! Dr. J's suggestion for the first week is to put the rules and token-earning into practice, but give "grace" all week when rules are broken (you don't have to draw a good-habit card). In other words, give everyone a taste of the rewards before the punishment/consequences. Perfect! When one of us did break a rule, we went ahead and drew the appropriate number of good habit cards just to see what we "would've" had to do. :)


Almost immediately, we all broke the rule about knocking (and waiting for an invitation!) before entering a room. I had no idea how much we were guilty of this, nor the respect it shows when you follow this rule! Even our two-year-old has gotten on board, and especially loves to holler out "Come in!" when I knock first thing in the morning or after her nap. (More in age-appropriateness of the program in a blog to come...)

It kind-of felt like walking on pins and needles the first week. It was like we had to slow down and be aware of every usually-subconscious move we made. Our son spent a lot of time, no kidding, sitting in front of the fridge (where we'd posted everything) and studying the rules and especially the rewards (calculating what he would earn first, second, etc.). He's always been like this (organized, mathematical, etc.) and THIS IS RIGHT UP HIS ALLEY! If you have a kid like this, I'm almost sure he/she will adapt thoroughly well.

Because our son had spent so much time reading the rules, one of our favorite memories of the first week is when my husband and I were in our bedroom and we heard a knock at the door(!). Upon inviting our son in, he politely said, "Excuse me, Mom & Dad, is this a private parental conversation?" It was hilarious. We wanted to yell, "THANK YOU, DR. J!!!"

More later -- mom duties call...