Pick it up!!!

-
Laundry, laundry, laundry... it was always lying around.  My patience with articles of clothing stuffed behind beds, under beds, in beds, and just plain left in the middle of the floor often ran thin.  I tried many solutions to teach the children to put their dirty clothing in their laundry bags in their rooms.  However, one of my boys simply didn't seem to care.

He didn't care if I charged him a quarter per article of clothing.  He was soon broke, and he could no longer pay.

He didn't care if his clothes didn't get washed.  He just wore them dirty.

I finally found a solution that worked from the book Creative Correction by Lisa Whelchel.  Here it is:
"For every article of dirty clothing left on the floor rather then placed in the hamper, have your child make five trips from the place where the clothes were dropped to the washing machine, hamper, or utility room.  The child must pick up the clothes, walk downstairs, put the article in the hamper, take it back out, return to where it had been dropped, drop it in again, pick it up again, and then repeat the cycle.  And a pair of socks counts as two, which makes 10 trips!" (p. 153, 154)
 My son had to go down two flights of stairs from his room on the second floor of our house to the basement where our laundry room is located.  After making 25 trips on several occasions and 65 trips two different times, he started to change his habits.  He had been doing good most of the year.  But I did notice before he left for camp this week that he was falling back into old habits.  I guess he needs a reminder to "Pick it up!"

If you ever need a solution for a behavior issue with your child, I encourage you to invest in Creative Correction.  It is a valuable resource full of extraordinary ideas. My favorite part about it is that it is a practical book based on Scripture for the purpose of imparting Christian values to our children. You just might want to "Pick it up!"

Comments

  1. Raising Mighty ArrowsJune 14, 2011 at 7:41 AM

    I heard Lisa talk about this book, either on FamilyLife or Focus on the Family. Glad to see it worked for you!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Skillet Zucchini and Hamburger

-
Image
My garden is producing peppers, onions, and zucchini and yellow squash right now.  I ran across this recipe, and the kids thought it was great.  They liked it much better then the way I had fixed the zucchini previously in a similar recipe with diced tomatoes instead of spaghetti sauce. What You Need: 1 lb ground chuck 2 lb zucchini or yellow squash, chopped in bite size pieces 1 green or red bell pepper, chopped 1 large onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 26 ounce jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves 1/2 teaspoon black pepper salt to taste What To Do: 1.  Brown ground chuck with onion and bell pepper in a large skillet.  Drain grease. 2.  Add garlic and seasonings.  Stir. 3.  Add zucchini and stir.  Cover with lid and cook over medium heat for approximately 15 minutes until zucchini is crisp tender.  Stir about every 5 minutes. 4.  Remove lid and stir in spaghetti sauce.  Co
Read more

When You Have To Let Go

-
Image
Heartache.  Deep, painful, agonizing heartache.  For a season that felt like it would never end, I carried a weight of anguish that tore at my very soul.  Parenting had been the source of immense joy for me, but at the same time there came with it intense sorrow.    Learning to handle this heartache is something that for me personally both challenged and grew my faith.  During this time I learned to appreciate the words of Psalm 77.  The lament of the Psalmist was much the same as my own heart cry to God.  It says,  I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me.  In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted. When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints. You hold my eyelids open ; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I consider the days of old, the years long ago. I said, “Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart.” Then my spirit made diligent search:
Read more

My Battle with Depression

-
Image
"Your Mom is not the same person she was," I overheard my husband explain to one of our boys. Our son wistfully replies, "I hope she gets better soon." My tears flowed.  I was not sure I would ever be better.  How does a broken heart heal?  How is one ever the same after they are broken? Each day I rose early.  In the stillness of the morning, I sought strength from above.  I never wanted to leave the quiet.  I wanted to stay here reading His Word and praying.  But...children awoke, meals needed fixed, laundry begged washing, and somehow I walked through each day.  However, I lived angry inside...angry that my solitude had been disturbed. The reality of my life was depression.  A depression that would not loosen its grip. It took me a long time to acknowledge it though. Over a year before my medical doctor had suggested to me that I take an anti-depressant.  I had gone in for unexplained aching and fatigue in my body.  After a lot of blood work, and fi
Read more