Are Your Kids Driving You Crazy? How Character Building Charts Keep You Sane

Who lives in your house? Are they driving you "crazy?" Do you have a Winnie the Whiner, a Sammy the Slacker, or a Bubba the Bully? Perhaps you've yelled, you've lectured, and you've even spanked to get your Winnie to stop whining, your Sammy to do his chores, and your Bubba to stop hurting his little brother. How can you get your Peter the Cheater to play fair, your Larry the Liar to tell the truth or your Tilly the Tattle to mind her own business? Our greatest task as parents is to raise children with strong healthy characters. Let's find out how Character-Building Charts helped one mother and how they can help you too.

I remember counseling a young boy who was a 'Sammy the Slacker.' One day his teacher confided, "When I tell my class, 'Children, please take out your readers,' Sammy leans back in his chair, his arms hanging over its back, and calls out, 'I can't find my book!' Sure enough, a little girl scrambles over, looks his messy desk, and finds it for him."

Sammy irritated his teacher, lost the respect of his classmates, and had no friends. These are not the consequences most parents want for their children. To help Sammy, I worked with his parents, especially his mother. I found out that her mother and grandmother believed it was their duty to be servants to their families. They were to pick up after everyone, do all the housework, and be happy too.

Sammy's mom finally understood that she was spoiling her child, making him weak, dependent, and distasteful to others. She decided to turn off the internal voices of her mother and grandmother.

Sammy's mother did three things:

1. Wrote out age-appropriate chores for Sammy

2. Created a chart to help build his character

3. Worked with Sammy to choose a goal for his chart

Sammy's mother learned that goals must be clear, simple, and positive. At the top of Sammy's chart he wrote, "My goal is to do my own work and then help others."

Sammy's mom strengthed her bond with Sammy by:

1. Offering stickers for his chart

2. Creating a cost-free bonding activity list

3. Offering Sammy the choice of a bonding activity to do together when he earned a certain number of stickers

Once the chart was created, they posted it on the refrigerator. Sammy's mom knew she had to encourage his improvements by:

1. Being consistent in rewarding Sammy.

2. Offering his stickers soon after he completed a task

3. Scheduling his bonding activity soon after he earned enough stickers

Because Sammy's mom was positive and consistent in rewarding him, he went from being Sammy the Slacker to becoming Sammy the Helper. His teacher sent home reports of improvement and, slowly but surely, Sammy made friends.

Whether you have a Billy the Blamer, a Gretta the Greedy, or a child with some other problem behavior, consider using CHARACTER-BUILDING CHARTS. You'll be teaching your child responsibility, self-discipline, and teamwork. You'll even enjoy finding out who lives in your house. You'll be saner and happier and you'll be building character too.

Character Building Charts and a Bonding Activities List have been created for your convenience.

About the Author:

Jean Tracy, Edmonds, WA, USA

Jean Tracy,MSS, invites you to build character in young hearts and growing minds. To raise awesome kids with solid characters, sign up for her FREE Parenting Newsletter. Download her FREE bonding activities, parenting tips, and parenting articles at, http://www.KidsDiscuss.com

---

Top 10 Things To Never Believe From Your Teenager

1) It's not my (pot, beer, cigarettes, etc.), I'm just... Read More

Psychological Effects of Child Abuse

Many children who suffer from the psychological effects of child... Read More

New Mom...New Baby...New Debt?

Ah, there is nothing like being an expectant mom. Along... Read More

Bad Boys/Good Boys (Avoiding The Pitfalls Of Being An Insensitive Dad)

I WAS AMAZEDI could hardly believe what I was hearing.... Read More

Failure or Future? Its Up To YOU!

We all want to comfort our children after they suffer... Read More

Potty Training Battle of the Wills

Some children practically potty train themselves, while others struggle and... Read More

Help Your Child Do Better in School

1. Create... Read More

The Long Journey Home

Once upon a time, I thought I had it all.... Read More

Family Meetings Are Now On The Agenda

"Not another meeting!"That tends to be the reaction from many... Read More

How to Take Charge of the TV

Many children enjoy TV, and they can learn from it.... Read More

Missing The Bus

As a step daughter and step grand daughter, I followed... Read More

Parenting Predicaments

Predicament:My son is 4 1/2 years old. His younger brother... Read More

Top Ten Things Parents Must Know About State Academic Standards (What Your Child s/b Learning)

Public education in the United States has never been equal... Read More

Shopping with Children

Is your weekly shopping trip with the kids an absolute... Read More

Whos Your Daddy? How to be a Great Dad in 5 to 7 Minutes

I am a dad. I have been now for over... Read More

Diana, Princess of Whales

Younger generations unfortunately will not understand how larger than life... Read More

Influencing Adolescents - Guided Democracy

You need to smart to be able influence adolescents. You... Read More

The Courage to Be a Loving Parent

Most of us really don't like it when someone is... Read More

Parents --- Homeschooling Can Take a Lot Less Time Than You Think

The time you will need to teach your children the... Read More

How To Develop Your Babys Brain

Have you ever wondered why toys for babies tend to... Read More

Why Wont My Teens Clean Their Room?

Have you ever had this struggle with your teens? Did... Read More

Responsible Fatherhood - A Unique And Irreplaceable Role!

Something happened the other day that made me feel uneasy.... Read More

Bird Flu Pandemic

What are the easiest things citizens can do to prevent... Read More

Difference

There are times when my ideas of raising a child... Read More

Are Public Schools Anti-Parent?

Some public schools try to turn children against their parents... Read More