Being a parent is a totally rewarding, completely fun, and continually changing job, but yes, it’s sometimes crazy, difficult, challenging, and frustrating.
No two days are ever the same, and what begins as a great morning for one kiddo can be a rocky, awful, stressful one for another.
It’s the hardest J-O-B I ever signed up for, and I sometimes laugh recalling that I once thought that having kids would be easier than teaching English to 140 ninth and tenth graders.
It is the greatest joy, however, watching your little ones learn and grow, and that is a fact. I am grateful every day for Maddy, Owen, and Cora, though not a day goes by when I don’t learn something myself thanks to these three little ones.
But one thing that has helped us keep our parenting sanity is managing our home in some of the same ways my husband and I managed our classrooms way back when.ย Not always perfect, mind you, and a constant work in progress, using teeny, tiny little gems has really made a difference.
This post has yielded the most personal emails to me than any other, so I thought it was worth sharing. It’s a definite top 10.
And though it requires some serious thinking, the effects of playing on positive behavior versus reacting to negative behavior are well worth the ‘gems’.
Here we go. . .
- teach mama’s top 10 all-time best countdown, #8: Gem Jars
Gem Jars — helping parents keep their sanity, one day at a time.
Our Gem Jars are just thatโglass jars I picked up (on sale) at the craft store and from our recycle bin, and the โgemsโ are those clear glass beads that we love over here and have used time and time again as bingo markers.
I bought black letter stickers so I could put each family memberโs name on a jar. Maddy, Owen, and Cora each have a jar, and thereโs even one for Mom, Dad, and Brady.
The deal with the Gem Jars is simple, and itโs one thatโs been supported by research over and over and over again: rewarding positive behavior.
Read more about Gem Jars . . .
Tomorrow: teach mamaโs top 10 all-time best countdown, #7.
This is my favorite post of yours ever! And we still use it for Michael!
thank you thank you!!
I don’t think I ever told you that we totally implemented this last summer. It really worked and I love love love that it reminded me to reward the positive!!
Aimee!! NO WAY! How awesome. You never did tell me that, but I’m so glad that you tried it and it’s worked for you. Hard, hard, hard to maintain, but worth trying, right? Thanks so much, my friend. Hope to see you soon. Happy, healthy 2012 to you!
We have been doing these jars since you first posted them and LOVE them!! Several of my friends have started with them after seeing them in action at our house ๐
Stacy! SO glad they’ve worked for you and some of your pals. It’s hard–hard to start, keep up, and maintain momentum, but I do think it’s worth it. Thank you for reading and thanks so much for this feedback. Happy, healthy 2012 to you!
What a great idea – I might try that. I much prefer to reward the positive but sometimes forget ; )
hi, Ann! Thanks for the feedback–I totally agree. It’s SUCH a paradigm switch–really hard but so worthwhile. Let me know how it goes!! Thank you for reading and HUGE thanks for writing!
We started the gem jars after your original post. Thanks for the great idea! My kids respond really well to them! (Well, when the just-turned-two-year-old isn’t putting gems into them on his own, taking gems out of them, playing with them, etc. etc.! Can’t put them out of his reach or the older two can’t reach them.) Love your blog!
Sarah!
Awesome to hear that they’re working for you (most of the time!). . . I do find my kids want to play with the gems, so keeping them high is a priority for us, too! Happy 2012, my friend, and thank you so very much for reading!