Summer is here and the kids are a bit out of control. I have to admit that a lot of the fault goes on my shoulders because I let them get away with a lot more than I should. So, as part of this organizational make over of mine, I am making over my kids. I want them to grow up with responsibilities and knowing that there is value to time and money.

After a lot of “research,” internet googling and doctor advice, I decided to try out the token system. So, here is how it works:

* Each child gets a task list. Every item on the task list gets a token value. When they complete that task, they get that amount of tokens.

* Rewards: The kids can choose to cash in their tokens for certain prizes or rewards. I am sure that more things will be added to the list. They can choose a date night out with mom or dad or even choose to cash in the money or allowance. Yes, TV and computer time is on the list. Kids get too much TV as it is.

* Fines: There is a list of family rules or things that I don’t tolerate. The kids have been pushing the limits a bit and I am not going to put up with it any more.

There are a couple of bug a boos with the fines. They will be warned if something is left out. If it stays out of place, it will be picked up by me and put into a bag. They will get fined for that. Then, in order to get it back, they will have to pay a token. That may sound mean but, I am guessing that I won’t have to do it for very long before the kiddos realize that their things have to be put away.

If they throw a fit for being fined a token, the fine is automatically doubled. Again, I don’t expect that behavior to last very long.

On the bright side, if they are “caught being good” or going the extra mile, they will be rewarded with tokens too.

I will let you know how it goes.