Teaching a Toddler

As a parent there are certain things I want my daughter to learn, and retain. I feel it is my job to teach her everything I can to help ensure she becomes a responsible member of society. I don't want to end up with a 21 year old who is a selfish brat and hasn't the first clue about life. I believe the best way to attain these goals is to start early.

For a while now Jodi and I have discussed chore charts and what we would like to have on one. We were hoping to make one of out chalkboard vinyl so you could stick it to your child's wall and check things off each day. We haven't completely gotten this together, so when I ran across a post from SimpleMom I decided to give it a shot.

It starts with a chore chart. I am using the one I found on SimpleMom here, and after taping the applicable chores onto one chart I scanned it to my computer so I don't have to cut and paste each week. So, each day Alexa will get a star for each task she completes. I have even asked my mom to keep track of what she does at her house so she is compensated fairly. Now, each chore will not be completed every day, but she will be provided with an opportunity to do most chores on a daily basis. At the end of the week we will count up her stars and she will receive a nickel for each star. This may not seem like a lot, but for a 3 year old this equals up to $145.60 per year in allowance. I think that's pretty good.

Now, when she receives this allowance, she will do 2 things. #1 she will take 10% and put it in a jar as a tithe. So many people have a hard time giving back to God, even though it was all His to begin with. I agree with SimpleMom that the earlier you start the easier that will be. I also hope this will create a feeling of thankfulness in Alexa that will carry throughout her life. #2 she will take 10% and put it in a jar to save. The other 80% will go into a jar and she may do with it whatever she pleases. Chances are she will save most of her money because she doesn't have any need to spend it at this point. I provide her needs, and some of her wants too...but in the future events like the one this past weekend will no longer occur.

Let me explain: This past weekend we went with Mimi to do a little shopping. One of our objectives was a pair of crocs for Alexa. I haven't had any luck recently finding any that I like, and now that we've been told the company is going under they seem even more scarce. So...we went to Academy and found a cute little pink pair. As we were checking out there was a massive display of candy right next to the register. Sidebar, why do stores do that? Ok, so Alexa announces to me that she wants a bag of candy. I tell her no, and we downward spiral into a tantrem. I wheel the cart out of the store rather quickly so that I don't lose it, and she continued to scream all the way to the next store. Had her allowance been available she would've been allowed to spend her $$ on the candy she wanted.

I have to say I think this is a brilliant idea and I am excited to see how it plays out. I an hopeful that out of everything Alexa will develop a good idea of how to handle finances, a thankful spirit for what she has, and a sense of responsibility for herself and her actions. I will keep you updated on our progress and how she likes getting a pile of coins each week! I hope it's a big pile :)