I am not above bribing my kids: “Get your clothes on and I will give you (insert bribe here).” For me, it’s typically in the moments of desperation when we are running late or when I just don’t have the energy to perform any sort of discipline.
When my son was about three, I realized something. When I would offer up a nickel or a dollar in exchange for good behavior, he had no idea what the difference was. In fact, he often times would prefer a nickel over a quarter because, in his words, “it was cooler.”
I was complaining about this one day to a friend of mine whose child was two years older than my son. {This is the best kind of friend to have. You can take all their lessons learned from experience and apply them to your own kids on the first go-around.}
She gave me a brilliant idea.
We call it The Good Boy (or Girl) Jar.
This starts to teach kids the value of saving by using cotton balls versus money. When they are toddlers, they are not going to understand the value of a dollar. The Good Kid Jar has different levels (lines drawn on the jar) to represent a prize – it can be anything! If they choose to let the cotton balls collect, the bigger the prize.
I told you, it’s brilliant. (Note: in our household, we also take away cotton balls for bad behavior.)
My son is about to turn five and only now do I think he is possibly ready to transition from cotton balls to real money. The challenge I see ahead is that I want him to learn the value of saving versus always spending. The goal will no longer be a prize. Instead, I plan on getting him excited about being a big kid with a bank account.
I recently started an Early Saver Account for each of my kids. I am starting them early (at ages 2 and 5) because I want this to be instilled with them from the very start. When my son collects coins and dollars for things like good behavior (yes, I still plan on bribery), I am hopeful we can teach him to spend some but save more. Even a dollar here and there will eventually add up. Opening up his Early Saver Account was a great first step – but now I need to teach him to fill it!
I realize that this might be a tough lesson to start with a five year old. Perhaps it means that the cotton ball jar will stick around a bit longer or there will be some sort of combination of the jars. But regardless, I am excited to start the process of teaching my kids that a penny saved is truly a penny earned – even if it is earned from a bribe!
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Read more of Stephanie’s contributions to AllMomDoes here.
