Disneyland is a Consequence

My head hit the pillow, and I fell asleep thinking about how to reward the kids and their good behavior while it lasts. Not that the good behavior won't last, but because I learned to be the punishing 'mom type'. You know the kind, ready to deliver the 'consequence' just as soon as the good behavior stops.

My sister-in-law reminded me children respond better to a rewarding 'mom type'. You know the kind, always making charts with stickers and smile faces and offering 'compensation' just as soon as the good behavior starts.

It's a glass is half empty/full idea as it relates to parenting.
But really it's more. It's about saying I appreciate your contribution to the family without having to say I appreciate your contribution to the family because I think they know when you take them to Disneyland for a job well done.

But I told them anyway, that I appreciated their contribution to the family and exactly why they were being rewarded^**, and I didn't even have to make a chart.

^**(The family has read scripture every day without complaint since the beginning of school.)