Last week, Evie turned a behavior corner. She went full-tilt terrible twos. In the space of 24 hours she had flushed a golf ball, unloaded a clean load of wash into the toilet, stuck her hand into the toaster while it was on, covered herself and the dogs in yogurt (and then grape jelly after I got the yogurt cleaned up), and smashed a glass salsa dish into the side of my head. It felt like I was running from disaster to danger and back again, and I couldn't figure it out. By day two she and I were both angry and exhausted. Fortunately, G came home to give me a break, and I was able to go out, grab a cup of coffee, and hit reset.
It was during that break I had the time to process the advice of several girl friends and come up with these sticker charts. Since several of you asked for them when I shared on stories, I decided to make them downloadable PDF's and share them here! We have a "Daily Wins" chart, where we put stickers on for getting dressed, cleaning toys, and even have a "heart" column for anything she does that is helpful or sweet without prompting throughout the day.
While it's not perfect, and we still have our moments, I can tell you that Evie did a complete 180 when she realized good behavior would be rewarded with the ever beloved sticker. And having a tangible way to encourage, reinforce, and praise positive behavior instead of just reprimanding negative behavior has been so good for my mental and emotional state. Overall, our days are much smoother and emotionally relaxed thanks to this little shift, and I hope they help you too!
