Positive Parenting

I was blessed and encouraged to hear Rodney speak about the discipline of our children. It is so important to begin the process of discipline early and I am beginning to see the fruit of that in my eight year old son. So, I would like to share with you something that I use in my home that works well for me. You can, of course, modify it as you wish to suit your own personal family needs.

Although I am a strong believer in consistent and firm discipline, I also like to focus on the positive things my children do. So, I developed a system that I call "Pennies in a Jar". My children can earn a penny for a variety of things such as sharing a toy, helping each other put clothes away, comforting one another if one gets hurt, taking turns on the swing in the backyard, compromising rather than fighting over a movie, etc. Anything that is positive, selfless, or encouraging of harmony in our home. When I catch them doing a positive thing, I tell them "penny in the jar" and then let them put a penny in their own jar. I have a separate jar for each child. Then, when they reach 25 pennies they have earned a small prize. This system has worked well to encourage positive behavior and my children love it. They do not necessarily get a penny every day or for every little thing, or I don't think it would have as much meaning to them. Yes, we must discipline our children, but it is also great to encourage and celebrate the positives they do as well.

Kyra