Chuck E. Cheese, you've got nothing on us.

I freely admit that I do a lot of things wrong as a mom. But, since this is my blog and I can paint whatever picture I want about myself and my success in the home, I will mention briefly one method where I can claim success. I actually happened upon it a couple of years ago when I taught the six-year-olds at church and had a few, shall we say, "spirited" personalities in my class. Okay, they were rotten. And I believe in positive discipline. So I created a method of rewarding them with "tickets" for certain behavior (ie. staying in your seat for more than five minutes, perhaps?) which, when we came to a certain point in the year, they were able to trade in Chuck E Cheese style for prizes. It worked magic.

I implemented it at home and three years later, it's one of the few methods still holding strong. I surprise the girls with tickets if they set the table without being asked, complete their chores on time and without constant reminders, help a sister with her work, etc. Another bonus to this method is that, when we are out and about and someone asks me to buy them something for no apparent reason, I might suggest that we put it in the "ticket closet" so that they can earn it for themselves. I avoid giving them a flat out "no" and spoiling them at the exact same time. They learn responsibility and ownership without my having to pull teeth.

So last week the jar was brimming and we had a ticket party. My prices were grossly inflated, but who are they to know, right? Anna scored a laptop, Lily a tea set, and Rachel a bunch of new food for their play kitchen, among other things. It was like Christmas in March!

Here they are, tickets counted, ready to roll!