When They Don't Want to Work

Many mornings my kids grumble and complain when it's time to do school work.  It's frustrating and sometimes I don't feel like doing school either, but I remind them that this is our responsibility and we must do it whether or not we feel like it.  I also remind them of Philippians 2:14,

                                       "Do everything without complaining or arguing."

When I'm faced with their bad moods, bad attitudes and sour faces I first stop and remember that I am their cheerleader and encourager.  I have to change my attitude first.  Then, if gentle reminders don't work, I have a few tricks up my sleeve that I resort to.

Positive reinforcement
When I see them working instead of whining, I praise them and make a big deal out of it.  When they complete a hard problem that they whined about, I use words like "genius" and "brilliant" and I give them high fives, hugs and/or kisses.  They love that and it almost always gives them the boost they need to finish their work.  It's important that I do this early on when they're working in order to boost their confidence right out of the gate and give them the tools they need to do their other work with a good attitude.

They don't get what they want.
If they can't do their work with a happy heart and they continue to have a bad attitude, I take things away.  I tell them that if they can't give me what I want from them, they don't get what they want from me.  Some examples are something other than water at lunch (this works well with Sam), some of my left over morning coffee (this works well with Susan), Play Station (Jonathan), computer (a good one for all of them, especially Sam who likes to play it during nap time, but rarely gets to).  Sometimes, I'll even use play dates if we have one scheduled.  I save that for a really bad day, though, because I need the play dates just as much as they do.

Suffer natural consequences.
If they don't get their work done when they are supposed to, they do their work during play time and miss out on the fun stuff.  I rarely have this trouble with Susan and Jonathan.  Once, Susan had horrible behavior and was constantly fussy and whiny, so instead of fighting her, I had her go to her room.  She did her work after nap time, while the boys got to play.  She got the message.  Even though she wasn't happy, she did her work quickly so she could go play.  Sam gets distracted easily and often has give up some of his quiet time to get his work done.

I totally intend on sharing pictures and talking photography, but this is where I am right now.  I want share this stuff while it's fresh on my mind in hopes of helping other moms who may, or eventually will, be going through the same thing.

Ashley