On my fridge you will see three small note cards, each card has a child’s name on it and each card has varying amounts of gold star stickers on them. The goal…to get to 15 stars…how do they get these stars? By just being their wonderful, kind selves. When husband and I see something lovely, a kind act, a quick obedience, an unexpected show of love, we place a star on their card. See, we not only discipline our kids for when they disregard the rules of the house but we encourage kind acts as well.
I mean, what’s the fun if you’re always being told “no”? Or always having to say “no”? Is that what I want to be? The Mom who always says “stop it” or “no” or “wait until your Dad gets home”? I’m going to say no to that. I want to be a “yes” Mom. Not “yes” to disobedience or to unkindness. And definitely not in a way that I end up raising children who doen’t know what discipline even looks like (and I’ll let you know, stars can be taken away and have been!) But “yes” to their little hearts when they, unknowingly, settle into being the tiny creation God meant them to be.
What happens when they get 15 stars on their card? A simple trip to the dollar store to pick out one item of their choosing. It doesn’t cost me more than a $1 but I would gladly pay any price for their character to be shaped toward each other…and to that I say, yes.