We make charts for our children—doing homework, staying in bed at night, brushing teeth, and doing chores—and some families have a great deal of success with charts for changing and shaping behavior (my family has not always been so great in the chart department). And, as adults, we make ourselves all sorts of lists, set goals, and resolutions about changes we want to make in our lives—but why not a chart for Mom or Dad? Why not have some fun and show our kids that we are working on stuff too?
When I was contemplating the idea for this blog, I thought about parenting and personal “Mom” issues that I might put on a chart: picking up my kids’ stuff instead of having and waiting for the them to do it themselves, losing my temper, being critical of their friends, washing dishes that should have been washed by someone else, etc. These are all areas where I could stand some improvement. If I was still parenting younger children, I might keep the “losing my temper” but have ones like: having permission slips and things to go to school organized the night before, not asking the same questions over and over again, and listening closely when my kids tell me about their day.
With personal computers in so many homes, it would be easy enough to make up a chart and award yourself little starts or stickers as you worked toward changing a parenting behavior. Better yet, let your child award the stickers as you are putting marks on his or her behavior chart. Then, you can reward yourself when you show improvement—just as you would your child. It’s so easy to beat ourselves up as parents with all the things we are NOT doing, or all the ways we think we need to improve—having a chart is a fun way to focus on changing our behavior, and model some really good stuff for our kids at the same time!
See Also: Charts, Points, Stickers, Stars, and Prizes
Using Charts and Contracts to Help Your Child Reach Goals