The Power of an M&M

My kids have been AWFUL lately to one another. The fighting and name calling has seemed never ending. Seems from the moment they get in the car to go to school and the second they get back in the car when I pick them up there is constant bickering. It has had my stomach in knots and creates so much tension in the home. I found I was constantly screaming and hollering at them to knock it off.

I guess it takes me being fed up with something to have a family night. I am not the best about doing regular FHE. (I know- maybe if I had regular FHE then I would be having these problems...) So I found the perfect lesson on kindness to present to the kiddos Monday night. I put each of their pictures on a jar and put some M&M's in a jar with a smiley face to represent the nice words/acts and put buttons in a jar with frowny face to represent all the naughty stuff. We role played some of the words that the kids love to say to one another like "You're an Idiot!", or "You're retarded.", or "I hate you and wish you weren't part of this family." The list could go on and on. I told them if I heard those words then I would put a button in their jar. If I heard kind words or saw acts of kindness then I would put an M&M in their jar. After one week they could get the candy from their jar. I also told them if there was any physical fighting then I would dump out all the candy from their jar and they had to start over. I ended the lesson with this wonderful little article by Jeffrey Holland.

Well let me just tell you- so far it is nothing but kindness in our home! Claire will do anything for that M&M. She counts how many she has and panicks if I even threaten of putting a button in her jar. Tells me she will do chores to rid of the button. If it looks like an argument may be coming I simply say "Button button, who's going to get the button?" :-)

I hope to make this last as long as I can....

Saturday, March 12, 2011.....Well, it was good the few days it lasted. Claire says (as she got entire jar of candy dumped out...) "I'm not playing that STUPID jar game anymore."