Sometimes loving your child means setting limits, giving consequences and saying "no".
I was so tired of watching my son neglect his school work in favor of video games. The arguments felt endless.
That is when I tried a different approach. At the beginning of the school year, he and I sat down and agreed on what his goals should be for the year. We also agreed on what privileges he would have if he met those goals and what would happen in the event he fell short of the goals. I put those agreements in writing and had us both sign them.
No more arguing. Each week we sat down and looked at where he was in relation to the goals. If he was meeting them, then he was free to play sports and video games. If he was not, he had to scale back until he put more effort into his school work.
Did he "like" it? Of course not. But, it was a simple way for us to establish boundaries that were no surprise.
Want to try it yourself? Click below to take a look at my example and get a blank contract for you to use in your home.
The expectations, privileges and review period will all vary by family, so feel free to make it your own.
My husband and I knew our son was capable of doing better in his math class. He simply was not trying. This contract helped minimize the arguments because we set the goals and the consequences together.
Click the contract to download a blank form for you to use.
Here is a blank copy for you to use. The expectations, privileges and review period will all vary by family, so feel free to make it your own.
Click the image to download.
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