If you have kids…

I know this isn’t a craft related post, but I am just so excited about this program that we started that I wanted to share it with all of you. I’ll give you a quick little background first. As you know, if you read my blog regularly, I have two fantastic kiddos. One just turned 8 and the other will be 5 in a couple of weeks. The kids are pretty well behaved, but as most kids, we do struggle a bit with various things such as cleaning our rooms, whining, and doing things when we are first told without an “attitude.” We also found out this summer that our 8 year old was diagnosed with high functioning autism which is one of the things that has contributed to our struggle. We have tried a lot of different things to help, in addition to having basic house rules.

Our two main rules in our house are:

Rule #1: Our words are kind and true, and our actions reflect what Jesus would do.

Rule #2: We listen and obey quickly, quietly, and with sweet gentle spirits.

If you ask my kids, they will be able to recite the rules to you word for word and explain what they mean. But actually following the rules everyday can be a bit of a challenge.

A friend of mine told me about a program called Accountable Kids. I checked it out online and thought it sounded like a great program. I ordered the kit and waited until we were back from all of our summer travels to get started. So far it has been wonderful! The biggest test for me was to see how our mornings went once school started. (We always had issues in the morning and never could seem to get out of the house on time with good attitudes. Even my attitude wasn’t always good.) I am excited to report that we have been on time everyday so far and the kids have actually done a fantastic job getting up, getting dressed, making their beds, brushing their teeth, asking for their vitamins, etc…all with a happy spirit. They are so excited to get their tickets in the morning and plan what they will turn them in for when they get home. (They are allowed to use them for TV time, computer time, DS time, etc.)

Below is a short video that talks about the program.

I have been learning a lot during the process too. One of the things I told my kids when we started was that I would not be nagging them as much to get their chores done. They just wouldn’t get a ticket if they weren’t done. My son said to me the other day, when I asked him if he finished his chores, “You promised that you wouldn’t bug us anymore once we started the program.” I told him that he was right and that I was sorry for nagging him.

The biggest thrill for me was when he finished his chores and said to me, “Mommy, I think this program is working.”

I am not affiliated with them in any way, I just wanted to share it with you it because it seems to be working for us. On a scale of 1-5, I would definitely give it a 5! I would love to hear your success story if you decide to start the program. You can learn more about the program by visiting their website here.