“Mom, I’ve got my Cwistmas list weady,” 4-year-old
Michael announced, handing me a tattered napkin inscribed with crayoned markings
that could have been sacred hieroglyphics for all the importance he attached to
them.
“Let’s see,” I said hopefully, “it says here that since
Mikey has been mostly pretty good
this year, he thinks he’s entitled to one sack of marbles and a new yoyo.”
Fat chance! Michael,
who religiously watches Saturday morning cartoons, between all the kid-targeted
commercials, had higher expectations.
“No, Mommy, that’s not what I wote,” he protested,
transforming every r into a w. “What
I weally want is a 10-speed. “
“But, Son, you’re not even 5-years-old. Your legs are too short for a big bike like
that.”
“That’s okay,” he had it figured out. “I don’t want to have to wait awound for one
when I finally gwo.”
Next on the list—my hands began to shake as I
calculated the financial impact of such requests multiplied by the dreams of
six children—was a television.
“Little Guy,” I hedged, “what would you do with TV? We already have two!”
“I’d put it in my bedwoom so I could play with my
Atari there.”
“Honey, you don’t even have an Atari!”
“I was just getting to that,” he cut me off.
That’s when I wiped cold sweat from my forehead with
the napkin list and handed it back to him.
“Young Man,” I said, “it’s probably time for you to
get a job!"
.JPG) |
| Stacee and Mikey in the days before big-ticket items became a part of their holiday expectations. |
*****
Chore Jars
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Chore jars are a simple way to encourage kids' participation in household tasks, especially when they are trying to earn a little extra money. Enlist their help in making the jars and deciding which chores to include.
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Materials:
- 1 jar to hold possible chores
- 1 jar for for each child
- colored Popsicle sticks
- black Sharpie pen
- sticky labels
- paper
- With your children's help, create a list of chores they are capable of completing.
- Agree on an amount of money for each completed task.
- Label the first jar, "Chores" and each remaining jar with a child's name. If desired, allow each child to decorate his name label.
- Write each task and the worth of that chore on a Popsicle stick. Color code the Popsicle sticks to make selecting a chore easier. For example, chores listed on green Popsicle sticks might be worth 50 cents. Jobs listed on red sticks might be worth a dollar.
- Put all the sticks in the "Chores" jar. Each child must do a minimum of one chore (or any number you decide upon as a family) each day. They can do more, but one is the minimum. Once they have performed that chore, they put the stick with that chore written on it in their jar.
- At the end of the week, add up the money each child has earned and give her/him the amount earned.
Note: Some parents like to encourage children to do certain tasks without pay. For example, every child might be responsible for clearing his/her own plate from the kitchen table after meals. Placing coats and shoes in the mud room as a child enters the home might also be an unpaid expectation.
