1) First I told them that learning responsibility is important so assigned them a job to fulfill and practice responsibility. That wasn't as motivating I guess. They were reluctant.
2) Second, I threatened. No weeding, no playtime. Hmm... negative reinforcement - works but not fun.
2) So I added an incentive. I told them I will pay them $5 each if we clear that plant area of weeds. (I know, I am resorting to bribery ;).
3. That was a little motivating, but not enough. They were doing it but it was dragging.
4. I told them I'd blog them (nothing like a mommy blogger) :) - That got them a little bit more excited. G said - "Mom, take a picture of me, then add a bubble in there with me saying or thinking "I hate this". Ha! N said "Oh, for me say, "I love this"!. (I will put the bubbles later, I didn't have time to mess with photo shop).
5. But the best motivation of all is when I joined them weeding. It turned from being just a chore into a fun family time. We were able to chat. It was killing two birds in one stone: weeding and bonding. Gotta like that!
For more Tackle It Tuesday posts, visit 5 Minutes For Moms.
Update: This actually worked, so might as well enter this post in "Works For Me Wednesday" too.
I also invite you to view my Wordless Wednesday photos titled Da Rush Maui. That will show a fun thing we did after weeding.
6 comments:
A family who weeds together stays together. ;)
LOL They like when you blog about them?! Here is mine.
That's a great post. Glad you got your work done and had time to bond with family, too.
LOL, it's SO funny they were motivated with the promise of a blog post! Whatever works...
haha. I must admit, the idea of a simple chore becoming "blog-worthy" motivates me too!
I love weeding with my sons too!
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