I admit I am not a perfect mother, and occasionally I can be found shouting at children; usually they are my own children, which I guess is good, but I would rather not be doing it at all.
However, if its been a long, hard day for us all, tempers are frayed and if listening ears have been removed and handed to the sock pixies; mummy can get a little bit cross…
My son pointed out that he and Chatterbox had a star chart, so why didn’t I. So now I do. It’s for not shouting at children, and it seems to be going better that I thought it would!
There are a number of reasons why having a mummy star chart is a good idea. We thought that it:
- Gives the kids some control; small people don’t have much control of their lives, they really don’t. And if mummy has a star chart that they put stickers on when they think she has been “good” it is giving them some of that control, no matter how small a bit of it, back
- Inspires team work in the family; we are all working together as Team Neale to help mummy to get her sticker. Just like I help them to get their tidy up stickers by helping them tidy up at the end of the say, they try and listen that little bit more so that mummy can get her sticker too
- Shows that shouting isn’t right; it is showing my children that I am taking responsibility for my actions, and that I know that shouting at them is wrong, so I am trying to work to stop doing it
- Helps the kids have a bit of fun; the kids love putting my stickers on at the end of the day
- Helps me to behave better! I like getting a sticker! I like seeing their faces when they put it on, so its actually working.
So why not make yourself a mummy star chart too; just use your picture instead of your kids in our store. We have a reward chart, but you could just as easily use one of our progress charts and pick a reward for yourself when you get to your goal. We went to the beach when I did one of these with the kids last time!
Lynn heath
Friday 22nd of November 2013
Love this idea! Will be printing one for daddy too!!!!
Helen
Friday 22nd of November 2013
Glad you like the idea - ours is working with me a treat! ;-)