Our system…
We use a discipline ladder. Naughty behavior moves you down with a loss in privledges. Moving back up involves chores. My kids are small, so the chores are simple. We put this in because our youngest is immune to timeouts, and it was that or I was going to spend my life walking around the block to keep my temper.
If you are at the top of the ladder and we ask you to do work, we pay something. My kids really haven’t gotten money yet, so this hasn’t been a big deal.
Not doing what is asked gets you moved down the ladder, however. So its in your best interest to do what’s asked - you don’t need to do more chores to move up, you don’t lose privledges, and you get paid!
Good point.
Ours is a hobby farm and there’s little that can’t be accomplished by one ambitious part-time worker like myself. Right now the kids’ only farm related responsibility is to keep still in the barn so I can feed the sheep without a frenzied scene of bolting ewes and screaming children. Of course, my hope is that as they get older and involved in ag organizations like 4-H, they will share my love of animal husbandry and land stewardship and won’t see the farm as a ‘chore’ or job. But since this isn’t the way we make our bread, we have the luxury of allowing the children to completely opt out of farming if they don’t like it.
Now, my 4.5 year old has already expressed the desire to take charge of a lamb this year. He’s really too young to be held responsible, but when he’s older and I grant this wish, do you think he should be paid for the time he spends caring for his ‘pet’?