9/21/22 Journal: The Color-Based System

Evi recently instituted a new policy wherein both our kids are graded on their behavior via a color-based system. There’s a letter paper-sized magnet on our refrigerator with horizontal color bars, the middle one being green (I think? I’m not getting up to go look) and as you go down it goes to yellow, orange, then red. If you go up, it goes–ah, hell, I don’t know. Bluish or some shit.

The girls each have a small magnet that represents their behavior. They always start the day on green, and if one of them misbehaves, they move down a bar. If one of them does something positive, they go up a bar. Their goal should be to finish their day at the top of the page. If they do so, they get to use a sharpie to fill in a “star”, which is on a separate chart, also on the fridge.

And if they get five stars? Free ice cream.

It should be noted here that Norah is only two-and-a-half, and has no idea what the hell is going on. Her magnet can go up, down, or sideways for all she cares. We’re lucky if she doesn’t swallow it. But Sasha, holy shit, she takes this seriously. When Evi or I threaten to lower her behavior level, she either straightens up her act, or screams for us not to (which usually precedes her magnet being moved down). She really wants her stars.

Obviously, it’s way too early to tell, but I think Sasha is going to be a serious achiever in life. She’s already the most social child I’ve ever seen. She goes out of her way to say ‘hi’ to other people, and makes friends easily and immediately. Add to that that she took some aptitude test her VPK* administered where she scored in the Top 4% of all children her age, and that she now insists on reading her own bedtime stories (I have to tell her what the text says, then she repeats it), well, I think we may have the next great go-getter on our hands.

*Yes, I know what this means now. Thanks, Amy.

Last night, for the first time, neither Sasha nor Norah got their star. Evi and the kids stayed home all day, and apparently that was too much for the little shits to handle. Sasha was pissed. Norah simply pooped in her diaper.

I guess we’ll find out today if Sasha learned her lesson and behaves better.

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