Yall. Parents. We may have just found the answer to all your prayers. The number one solver of all your problems when it comes to dealing with your kids and their tantrums. Or negative behaviors. Or whatever it is you want to enhance to even decrease.
A parent just told me about this app this week, so I HAD to share (and no, I’m not receiving any sort of kickback for suggesting this)!!
What’s it called, you ask?
The app is called BusyKid, and it’s a way to tie behaviors (negative or positive) and link them to some sort of financial reinforcement. Behavior modification if you will.
Now I get it. Some people may argue that you shouldn’t have to pay your kid for doing work around the house. Or things they “should do.” I hear you loud and clear. But it is my belief that this app is much more than that.
Not only can you come up with an age appropriate list of chores for your child, primarily between the ages of 5-16. You choose how much you pay them. Even more than that, you can pay your children a ‘bonus’ for doing what I like to call, “catching them being good.” In other words, if they engage in a positive and desired behavior unsolicited and without you asking, you can reward them for that.
The kids also get to invest in stocks, so it’s a lesson in having their money work them. If only I received this lesson and message as a kid, I may be a rich man by now! But I digress…it’s not about me. It’s about important lessons for kids to learn at an early age about responsibility and how to manage their money in this capitalistic society (whether you like it or not, it’s the reality…for now at least). I mean, where else can a child invest in stock such as Netflix, Amazon or the like?
Also, the app encourages kids to even donate to charities – to give approximately 10% of what they earn to the charity of choice. That way, your kids get used to the whole idea of philanthropy, giving to others. It’s not always about them, and it’s best to teach them this lesson at an early age. Give to others, and that money helps someone less fortunate. And who doesn’t feel good, rewarded, fulfilled about doing this?!
Friday is payday! What that means is, just like a regular job, there is a regular day they get paid. Again, agree or disagree with what we are setting our children up for, the bottom line is this is teaching them consistency and that they will be rewarded in a timely manner for their behaviors and efforts. No more waiting two weeks, a month, or even more to recognize the positive job your child has done. Trust me, I’ve heard parents holding out that long and the outcome is never a good one. So let’s reward them on a regular basis, just as we are!
What this particular parent told me was that her child’s language was atrocious the week before she found out about this app. The ‘F’ bomb was getting dropped more than a kid failing everyday in class. She was at her wit’s end. She didn’t know what else to do. Then she was introduced to the app by another kid who has been using it and loves it.
She states that since getting this app, she maybe has hear the ‘F’ bomb 3 or 4 times in the past week. Down from, well, a lot more. What a change! She also reports that he is now searching for random chores to do around the house so he can get rewarded, something he would have never done previously. Now, I’m not saying that every child is going to have a similar response, but it’s certainly worth a try!
And not only that, it takes the effort out of arguing back and forth with your child about something they know they have to do. If they regress or use language or engage in behaviors you want to steer them away from, guess what? You can take money away from them. That’s right – just subtract it directly from their account. And they see and feel it immediately. That’s enough to engage in the desired behavior again.
Oh. And they can get a gift card if they choose. If they want to give someone a gift, they get to do it right there at their fingertips. A gift card to the movies, a restaurant, Amazon. They can also buy something for themselves. It’s all good.
As the app’s description states, this is all about a lesson in “time, chores, and money.” But more importantly, it’s a lesson in responsibility and accountability. And you really do eliminate the middle-man (aka the endless bickering, back-and-forth, arguing about what to do and when), and immediately recognize and reward when something is done that you want; and take away when something is not suffice. As simple as that.
Whoever invented this app is a genius!! I just wish I did. Haha. No, but seriously, I bet this is going to be a game changer for a lot of parents. Change really is at your fingertips. The time is now to put your phone and your kid to work. After all, who doesn’t like a BusyKid?