I can't believe summer is more than half way over. Some families love this time of year. Others find it hard to bear with all the transitions, different camps, unstructured days, screen time guilt, and kids whining to be entertained. I might be projecting here.
1. Have I Ever Told You About....?
This tip comes to you directly from my own bathroom.
When my kids would refuse to brush their teeth or get distracted or resist sunscreen or say no to bath time, I would just sneak in a story and distract them with a wild tale of adventure or an embarrassing story from my own childhood.
Children are motivated by play, and their imaginations are primed for stories and engaging conversation. Basically, use THAT to your advantage!
The next time you're nudging your child to hurry up and do something - and it's not working - try telling a story. Instead of saying, "Get dressed already," try handing them a shirt and saying, "Hey, have I ever told you about the time I got in big trouble for..."
Or, "Hey, have I ever told you there's a leprechaun living in our neighbor's backyard?" Keep talking as you apply that sunscreen.
Or, "Hey, have I ever told you that funny story about your second birthday party? I'll tell you while you're folding your laundry."
The point is to engage the mind in a positive way and build feelings of belonging and curiosity.
Sound hard? Just make something up! It doesn't matter what. Or grab a few ideas from chatGPT to throw in your back pocket.
2. Allowance Hack
People ask me how I manage allowance, chores, and teaching my kids to budget. Despite varying opinions about whether to attach allowance to chores, we keep them separate because...
Allowance shouldn't be a chore for parents!
I recommend using an app to automate and track allowance without getting involved with cash and remembering to hand it out. When your child says, "Can I buy [this piece of junk] at Target,?" you want to whip out your allowance tracking app and say, "It looks like you can (or can't?) afford it!" Then pay the nice person at the counter with your credit card and subtract that amount from the app.
An app can handle automatic "payments," dividing it into categories (think spending, savings, and sharing), and allow kids to accrue interest and track birthday money.
We use a very basic app called Bankaroo, but I've since tried Guardian Savings and find that to be a great option as well....maybe better.
You'll have to do your research to see what fits, but never again will you hear "You forgot to pay me!" from your child.
❤️ Rachel
P.S. If you missed last week's special announcement (and discount) about How to Set Limits with Love - For Parents of Strong-Willed Kids, let me know and I'll hook you up.
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