Breakthrough

Potty training, teaching a child to ride a bike, filing for a child’s first patent. These are all small milestones in the life of a parent. Small victories that collectively add up to the great joy of being called Mommy or Daddy.

As with all victories, there must be a series of defeats as one masters an art or learns a skill. Some of the lessons and values we hope to instill in our children gently slide out of our mouths and are reflected through our actions only to slither past the unsuspecting child unnoticed. For my oldest daughter, the notion of swiftly doing anything has been elusive for many years.

If you have read this blog from the beginning, you may recall my post about Slowpoke She. In this allegorical story, I describe the pace of my momentumly-challenged daughter as she moseys her way through each day. Suffice it to say, speed is not her forte. Now, as a healthy, vibrant seven-year-old, it has become of critical importance that she learn to pick up the pace. (So says Mommy with the familiar “You-deal-with-your-child” look on her face.)

True joy came a few weeks ago when we finally found something that motivated her. The simplicity of the system is amazing and its effectiveness astounding. With the birth of our fifth child, the need for the older ones to become more independent became very apparent. To help her move along, in a moment of frustration I put a Post-It note on her bedroom mirror. I then told her that every time she finished a job after the timer went off, she had to record how many minutes late she was. At the end of the week we would add up the numbers and if it was less than 10, she could watch a 30 minute video on Friday.

To sweeten the pot, I also told her that she could earn positive points by finishing jobs early. Each time a job was finished before the timer sounded, she could add two positive points that would work toward offsetting the negatives. The math may be a bit complicated when you are in the second grade, but she gets the gist of it.

Yesterday I came home and noticed that the table in our homeschool room, an area of the house that usually has clutter on it, was completely clean. “Wow, the table is clean.”

“We just put everything where it belongs,” Maddie replied.

“What I great idea,” I said, sarcasm dripping from every word.

“It was all Mommy’s idea,” Maddie replied proudly giving credit where it was due.

“Your mommy sure is full of great ideas.” I responded chuckling at my daughter’s honesty. A week ago, that job would have taken over an hour. Now, after only a few minutes, the table was clean.

Tonight, my little girl proudly said to me, “Daddy, come look at my chart!” Her smile said it all as she showed me all the positives far outnumbering the negatives. For me, the math is easy. It used to be that my little princess would waste 15 to 20 hours a week completing tasks that should take mere minutes. Now she works fast all week then watches a 30 minute video on Fridays. And I like the way that adds up.