Working......

Addie has always had jobs to do around our home. But as our schedule gets a little fuller, Mommy is a little busier with a little boy who is very mobile at this point, and homeschooling goes from summer flexibility into fall steadiness, Addie has had to become a little more responsible for her jobs.

As I have been reading Child Wise by Gary Ezzo and discussing the principles with Brian that I can see working in our family and home, the idea of working and earning has really come to the forefront for us.

As a little girl, I had jobs to do, charts to fill out, and prizes that I could earn for filling out so many chore charts. I will never forget the little "pop doll" set that my mother bought and put on the top shelf of her closet. The little dolls had flat backs and dresses that "popped" right on them from the front. The set looked like a little mall and all of the dresses had little spots that they hung on when the dolls weren't wearing them.

Because it was a bigger type of toy, it took a long time for me to earn it. I don't remember how long.... I just remember that it was long.

The point of the lesson was that we have to work for and earn what we wanted.

Addie's favorite show on TV is "Doc McStuffins" on the Disney Junior channel. She has decided that she wants to be a doctor (she has been pretty serious about this for some time now) and that she needs a doctor's kit.

So she has been working.....

......and earning little "chips" on her chore chart so she can earn her doctor's set. She needs to earn 150 chips, which will take her about 4 weeks. At the end of that time, we will take her to the store so she pick out the doctor's set that she wants (after all, she is earning it).

Her jobs are:

• Get dressed
• Brush teeth
• Make the bed
• Clear her are on the table
• Put clothes away
• Put toys away
• No whining

She is one excited little girl! She does her jobs and checks to see that we are watching her. She shouts, "I get a chipmunk!" and runs to her chart to put up her chip. Then we hear about how she is going to get a doctor's set.

Progressively, her jobs will get harder as she gets older and as Ian grows and is able to take over the simpler tasks she currently has, and he will learn the value of work. Already, as we watch Brian leave in the morning, I tell Ian, "Daddy goes to work so Mommy can stay home with you and Addie. One day, you will go to work and earn money to provide for your family just like Daddy does."

It is never too early to teach our children the value of work.