Airline Mileage Program for Kids Behavior

By Linda Sorkin, L.M.F.T. and Mom
Imagine an airline mileage program for kids behavior! Yes, a program where children are rewarded for engaging in behavior they and their parents desire. A program of empowerment, parent-child relationship building and accountability where positive behavior is mutually understood and tracked in a way that kids want to participate!

Sure, the rewards from earning points are fun, but the priceless lessons realized by both child and parent ripples with benefits for a lifetime. Kid Pointz is an exciting and reliable way to get the entire family on board and enticed with positive behavior. It holds the entire family accountable while circumventing the negativity and conflict that typically ensues between parent and child when enforcing behavior! Have you ever attempted to enforce a behavior chart and then realized you have forgotten to put the stars on the chart for at least a week?...Yes, I am talking about follow through or lack of...

If you are anything like me, this is a real challenge. Life gets busy and before you know it, you have forgotten what you were trying to reinforce in the first place! This lack of follow through and inconsistency only confuses your kids not to mention makes your life more difficult. Having an automated program to track desired rules and positive behavior will help the entire family know what is expected of them and what is not. The kids inevitably become their own micromanager of positive behavior by taking an active role in creating their own rewards to redeem as well as personal rules for positive behavior.

Believe it or not, your kids will be motivated to participate in family chores, not fight with their siblings, go to bed on time or do their homework because there is an incentive for them to participate. Ultimately this incentive will become intrinsic because positive behavior will be reinforced through giving choices, active participation, family discussions and rewards (monetary and non-monetary). Kid Pointz helps parents to direct and guide their children to behave better. Asking your child to participate in setting up rules for themselves will create confidence in their decision making and elicit a desire to interact in a peaceful manner with others.

Why Points System for Rewarding Children for Good Behavior Works

Let’s look a little deeper into what driving your child’s behavior and some parent-child dynamics to better understand why this special point program works so well. All Children Have Needs.

1. First, all kids want to feel like they belong and feel included in a family system. They want to know there is a special place for them and feel connected and loved by their parents.
2. Second, they want to feel a sense of independence. No matter what age your children are they will begin to develop an identity which believe it or not, is different from yours. Encouraging independence and decision making is an important aspect of effective parenting. Kid Pointz helps with setting up a structure to assist in developing a child’s sense of self.
3. Third, children want to be heard, listened to and valued for their voice. They want to know what they have to say is important, respected and valuable, despite what their behavior might be telling you.
4. Finally, all kids want to feel like they have some control over what may or may not happen to them in their world. Some demand more control than others, but with Kid Pointz, you are able to address their need for control by giving them choices. Although this represents only a broad description of a child’s psychology, you are getting an idea of important levels on which Kid Pointz plays.

The Kid Pointz program ultimately addresses all fundamental behavioral needs while putting good ‘ole fun into wanting and practicing positive behavior! No doubt this idea of parents relating to their kids without yelling, using idle threats or micro-managing can seem foreign, but keep in mind most families never had access to a self-motivated relationship and behavior development system empowered by the needs and desires of the children!

Let me report from my own personal experience using the Kid Pointz Points System for the first month: Less resistance (and sibling fighting) and more conversation, discussion and participation. Rule following with less or no backlash. Kids motivated to help with chores, go with the flow and be quick to cooperate. For instance, my 10 year old son was so excited for us to implement the Kid Pointz program in our home . He was actually asking to set up rules for his own behavior change! I was shocked and found it quite humorous to see how he came up with his own ideas to change what “he” knew to be negative behavior. All of a sudden he was motivated to help around the house and take more responsibility for himself. I believe he was feeling some internal motivation to change because he could see the direct impact of consequences for which he knew he was responsible in the first place... which removed the blame game as an option. He was being rewarded for his positive assistance and self-reliance. He felt important, recognized, valued, respected, loved, connected, independent and excited, to change for the sake of his own growth (my words not his)! Overview of the Points System for Rewarding Children Kid Pointz provides a format for you to define, implement and empower adherence to rules you believe are important for your child to follow. These rules reflect your values, needs, environment and expectations (while honoring your child’s personal preferences, personality and style) for your child’s behavior which empowers them in their decision making. Points are earned for every rule followed and deducted for every rule not followed. This “consequence accountability” system teaches kids cause and effect and even more profoundly, self awareness (one of the most fundamental ingredients to character building and the healthy maturation all parents want for their kids). Kid Pointz is a cutting edge format and program that streamlines incentives for your kids to self-develop, grow in character, participate in family affairs, grow with responsibility and enjoy, WITH YOU, a much stronger parent-child bond. There is great satisfaction in seeing your child initiate responsibility and seek out positive behaviors. The rewards are more than I can write up in any article. So, an “airline mileage program” for empowering or transforming kids into seekers and doers of positive behavior? You bet! Happier, more self-reliant kids and a more peaceful home as a byproduct of your child’s own self-motivated, self-managed behavior...imagine that!