The Last Straw

Sometimes when your almost 4 year old son turns into a sassy, defiant little "bundle of energy" that you hardly recognize anymore, you need to dig deep in your bag of tricks to bring him back on track before he slips away into a land of bratty defiance forevermore. In times like these, a Mom in such circumstances draws much inspiration from the likes of Mary Poppins and The Supernanny. In fact, I'm tempted to write an advertisement for a nanny, rip it to pieces and place it in my fireplace, and patiently wait for Mary Poppins to arrive on our doorstep. DESPERATE TIMES CALL FOR DESPERATE MEASURES.

Anyway, in my world, bribery positive motivation seems to work magical wonders, so I've created Ben a sticker chart. The components are quite simple, really. You just need some flimsy poster board (thanks, Target), some rainbow-bright markers, and an assortment of relevant stickers. And by relevant, I mean monster truck/Sesame Street/Clifford/football oriented. Fortunately, when you're 4, there is just nothing cooler than stickers.

Ladies & gentlemen, I present you with Exhibit A of Mommy's Desperate Attempt to Regain Control, Order and Peace in My Home:

It's "Ben's Good Behavior" Chart! Please take note of the many colors and somewhat straight boxes I had to make. I even had to whip out the ruler for this complex little creation:

The categories are few & simple, and earning stickers is fairly easy. I'm doing my best to set him up for success, and when he has earned a whole row of stickers, he has earned himself something extra special- a "special treat", if you will. In Ben's mind these are what qualify as special treats:

1) ice cream cone (he's a strawberry or vanilla guy. I'm doing my best to turn him on to Peanut butter & chocolate)
2) Spiderman t-shirt
3) A movie rental of his choice
4) going on a date with Mommy to Target

Obviously, I'm pushing for special treats #1 & #4.  Because if we've been successful enough in our bribery positive motivation efforts, then by golly, Mommy deserves a special treat, too! Come on, sticker chart...Mama has big hopes for you.

Veteran parents: It gets easier, RIGHT? PLEASE? RIGHT?