I am a parent of a very outgoing preschooler. Recently, though, she has decided to show some dominance with her father and I. This includes biting, spitting, and hitting us when we ask her to do simple things as: putting on her shoes, getting a bath, and bedtime.
Nothing we did seemed to work. If we got angry, she got even more angry. It was a never ending cycle of “QUIT” and a sigh of defeat.
That is, until we remembered how she was potty trained. She was so into it, but only for show. She wouldn’t do anything on the potty or the toilet until my mom had her sit there until she went, then gave her a boxed Yoo-Hoo. She was all for going after that. We don’t have to use Yoo-Hoos now, since she can tell us when she has to go.
This got us thinking: if she was willing to do good for a treat, what else could we get her to do?
Thus, the Goodie Box was created. If she cleans her room, cleans off her bed, eats her dinner, brushes her teeth, bathes, uses the potty without us asking or her not giving us grief over it, she gets to pick from the box. If she wakes up in the middle of the night and uses the potty, resulting in waking up dry in the morning, she gets two prizes.
The box includes: toys, snacks, a few pieces of candy, fake glasses (because you can’t be a mommy without those, apparently), crafting supplies, cheap makeup, and books.
Since the box has been in place, her attitude has changed immensely. No more screaming at everyone when she is asked to stop doing something, no more hitting people or things when told to get ready, and best of all: she finishes dinner.
I Do Too Much 