The Reward System

Gracie is currently participating in a new reward chart system. My parents gave her a felt chart a few weeks before Christmas, and she gets to put a velcro felt star on her chart when she does a certain task. It's great because it reinforces the days of the week which she already learned at school, and it's a fun way for her to earn rewards. The only problem is that she is catching on that she can earn stars deliberately. Saying "please" and "thank you" is one of the items she can get a star for, and I've noticed her saying please and then looking at me like, "That should earn a star." We're trying to teach her that it's not a one time accomplishment. She needs to spend the whole day being polite. She can be in the midst of the biggest temper tantrum and if I mention that her behavior won't earn a star she will dry it up and turn into an angel. Ah, power! I'm sure it will wear off in time, so we are trying not to overuse it. Anyway, most of you know the struggle we have with Gracie not sleeping through the night...ever. Well, the last two nights she has slept in her bed all night and has earned two big stars for it. If this works, Grandpa and Nana deserve a trip to the Bahamas for buying us this chart. Oh, but don't count on it Grandpa and Nana. If my Publisher's Clearinghouse entry makes me a winner, we'll talk.