I don't think the settling could have happened at a better time. Josiah has reached an age where we feel he is old enough to take more ownership in the culture of our family. While some of those principles are intangible, we tried to evaluate in what ways we could be more intentional about teaching him. It is a delicate balance trying to teach him to develop good habits while also training him that his behavior, his attitudes, and his actions are rooted in his heart. More wisdom, please Lord! Here are some of the things we have ushered into our family culture lately:
1) A Chore Chart
I didn't really know how I felt about a chore chart, honestly. However, I was motivated to make a chore chart for Josiah and me. Mostly me. I was struggling with the need to do everything on any day I was free, causing me to negotiate face time with the kids for tasks. I thought if I gave myself a chore for every day, then it would accomplish several purposes. 1) I wouldn't feel like I had to do everything. If I did that one thing, it was enough for the day. 2) It gave me more direction on what to accomplish. 3) It held me accountable on a higher level, because it was a written contract with myself to accomplish that task. 4) In theory, if I stayed on track with my "chore chart" then the house would run with relative ease. Of course, there are chores not on the chore chart because they happen with such frequency (pick up the living spaces, dishes, clean the kitchen, etc). Regarding Josiah's chore chart...it was about teaching him the rewarding feeling of participating in our household and helping him identify ways in which he can be a part of the "team." He has one major task each day in addition to morning Bible time. Once he has accomplished his chore he is able to move a sunshine that says "I did it!" onto the day of the week.
Perhaps you are wondering if the chore chart is working for us. So far, the answer is yes. Josiah is very proud to move his sunshine and receive praise for the help he is in our home. Everything is cleaner and the laundry is not behind for the first time, ever. Perhaps 3 weeks in is a little premature for a verdict. However, I have high hopes we will be able to maintain the discipline of our chart.
2) Morning Bible Time
Reading Josiah's kid Bible has traditionally been a part of our bedtime routine. I was trying to carve out time in the morning for myself to read the Bible and thought that it would be good to encourage Josiah to "read" his own by looking at the pictures. It didn't really end up that way, as he is eager to read the stories. We modified a little bit and I am working on pushing my personal Bible time to before the kids get up (the Lord has to do this for me, as I am hard-pressed to do it on my own). Now we do a morning Bible/devotional time and review Josiah's Bible memory verse of the week. It has been amazing how much more peaceful our home feels in the mornings when we start off this way.
3) Give, Save, Spend Jars
Josiah is still a little young, but we decided now is a good time to start him on financial education. Jonathan and I are both incredibly grateful to have been raised by parents that taught us sound financial practice. Thanks to what they modeled for us, it has been much easier for us to understand how to utilize our resources. We strongly desire to provide our children with the same gift. So...the birth of the "Give, Save, Spend Jars" to help Josiah learn to portion his money. The only problem is that Josiah then has to actually have money. We agreed to give him a weekly allowance of $2. In our home, you must save at least 10% and you must give at least 10%. While percentages are still too complex for his little brain, understanding how many of his coins go in each jar is not. We also have a monthly matching policy if he chooses to save or give at least $1.50 a month. We are just initiating the jars, so we haven't been able to determine their success as of yet.
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