Search Results for: blog reward systems

Setting Parental Controls on Your Video Game Systems

Do you test out every video game that your child plays before they play it? Do you rely on word from friends, websites or even your kids themselves to determine the appropriateness of each game? How do you keep children away from the more mature games that are already in the home played by older siblings, dad or mom? One of the ways to do this is by setting up the parental controls that are available in your video game system. Just like the famous v-chip or the parental controls that are available in some cable television systems, the parental … Continue reading →

Positive Reinforcement: Non-material Rewards Are Just As Effective

As parents we often spend many hours attempting to change our kids behavior by a little method known as correcting. This works for many kids but parents should also realize that a better method is the use of positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement is simply rewarding your child with something desirable after a behavior occurs. In most cases the reward then assures that the behavior will occur again. The reward does not have to be something material or costly, it can be a hug, a special snack, extra time with mom or dad, etc. For many kids, these types of reward … Continue reading →

Dolphin Intelligence Sparks New Ethics Debate

A unit in my college environmental ethics class studied the different ethics systems we follow in order to determine how we treat others. It focused on sentient verses non-sentient: the idea that some life, although not as intelligent as humanity, is still aware of itself (animal) and that other, while still alive, has no self-awareness (plant). The question of sentience was one factor used to determine what level of ethical treatment was appropriate for different members of the environment. Up until now humans for the most part have lumped all animals into one category and treated them the same: humanely, … Continue reading →

Online Allowance

My 7-year-old doesn’t get an allowance. She doesn’t need to, she gets whatever she wants when she wants it, thanks to very generous grandparents. However, that hasn’t stopped her for asking for money. Since entering the second grade, allowance has been a hot topic in our home. My daughter’s classmates get it and she wants it. Given that she is not exactly a prime candidate for Merry Maids and she has very selective hearing, I’ve been reluctant to set-up a chore chart that pays out at the end of the week. Still, I haven’t ruled it out completely. I recently … Continue reading →

In a Workout Slump?

I know from experience that sometimes it is hard to stay motivated to exercise. I have gotten in slumps before that have lasted longer than I would like to admit! I have come up with some ideas to try to help you stay motivated and get moving. These ideas have helped me get out of a slump, and hopefully they can help you too! Workout Shoes Keep your workout shoes in sight! This may seem odd but there is some truth in the saying- out of sight, out of mind. I have noticed that when my workout shoes are tossed … Continue reading →

Teaching Table Manners

We all wish our kids would sit up straight and eat their dinner nicely… as in use silverware, don’t burp, and say please and thank you. However, teaching them takes patience on our part and for parents of children with special needs, it may take even longer than we can imagine. When teaching table manners, consider your child’s ability level first and for most. Just because your child is a certain age, doesn’t mean his maturity level is right for certain behaviors. In addition, if your child has developmental delays or deals with a sensory condition, he will probably struggle … Continue reading →

Keeping Your Clutter Resolutions

This year is one of your resolutions related to your home? I know that mine is. I seem to constantly be in a war with clutter. One of my resolutions is to get more organized and establish systems in order to keep the clutter at bay. Recently I was in someone’s home. It was well put together and looked spotless. As we sat down to talk, my friend admitted that she was far behind in her housework and hadn’t done any cleaning in a week! I couldn’t believe it. She pointed out a cobweb on the ceiling as proof. So … Continue reading →

What Should You Do if Your Company Wants You to Move Overseas?

In this global economy, more of us are working for organizations that are international in scope. As trouble has hit the American economy, some of these companies are shutting down United States facilities and moving their workforce overseas. In addition, many multi-national organizations routinely offer the opportunity to move up the corporate ladder by switching offices. Therefore, whatever your nationality might be, you could be asked to move from your home to a completely new culture. What you do in this case is entirely personal. However, there are some advantages about working in a foreign land worth mentioning. 1. In … Continue reading →

Single Parents—Watch Out for Using Manipulation

There are so many tools and tricks that a parent can use that work well and do not harm our children or our relationships with them. Unfortunately, sometimes we all get tired, haggard, or look for short-cuts in order to motivate or get our children to do what we want them to. There is a big difference between motivating and inspiring our child, and using manipulation techniques to get what we want. Manipulation is when we try to trick, cajole, force or threaten our child into doing something. Manipulation feels yucky and it feels very different from things like reward … Continue reading →

You Cannot MAKE Them Work Hard

Motivation and inspiration can be tricky things when it comes to how we parents can inspire out children to do the things we think they should. I remember before I became a parent how I assumed that I would be able to mold and make my children into the people I thought they should be. I was definitely one of those people (and only childless people truly believe this) who would say things like “My children are going to…” and “I’ll make sure that my kids…” In reality, we parents do the best we can but our children do not … Continue reading →