Pokemon Discipline

My older boys have finally joined the card craze. They ask for them constantly and save money to buy packs and packs of them. Well, this Mom soon learned that earning cards for good deeds, like sharing with your brother of helping a family member, goes a long way! They also get cards for chores that they do. I just bought a huge lot online and then give them a card at a time when they earn them. Much cheaper this way. How they get about $4 for a pack of 10 cards I will never know!

They get a blind draw and never know which card they will get. I figured they would pick the best or their favorite cards first and then the motivation to behave well would decrease later on as the card selection grew thin. They are not happy about this but I am the Mom and it is my way or no cards! They eventually saw my wisdom.

The flip side is when they do something wrong, don't listen, or are the opposite of helpful with a friend or brother, then they lose a card. But this time I get to pick which card or cards they lost depending on the infraction. They are really not happy about this! And they haven't yet learned not to tell me about their favorite cards and show them to me. I still have a slight advantage, but I am sure it won't be long before they figure it out!

I have actually seen some progress in their behaviors and they are helping each other out. Sean won't want to pick up toys and Brian will remind him that he can lose a card and if he helps he might get a card at the end of the day. Genius, pure genius! Ha, ha, ha!