Bribe me.
An incentive chart is a poster on which Dutch gets to put a sticker at the end of each day that she keeps her glasses on all day, working toward prizes. If she earns a sticker each of the next four days, for example, she gets to have breakfast with me on Sunday, JUST THE TWO OF US,* at our awesome local cafe, where Dutch will eat bacon, jam, ketchup,** bread, and freshly-squeezed orange juice.
I wish I had an incentive chart. Adulthood is kind of shitty that way. My rewards are erratic, usually unearned, and often entwined with something less lovely, but they are lovely. The sight of Dutch's small, defiant face turned up to me today as we discussed her incentives, with her jutting chin, tangled hair, and lopsidedly magnified right eye peering through those despised glasses, was a reward. When she said that thinking about the bacon "makes my mouth water!" and then said thoughtfully "... I don't actually know what that means," that was a reward, too.
But I'd still like some stickers. And a prize.
*This is a very powerful incentive, because she's so sick of that damn interloping baby.
** That is a very specific list - the ketchup and jam are made in-house, and are delicious, so they have become a central part of the meal, rather than peripheral.
I wish I had an incentive chart. Adulthood is kind of shitty that way. My rewards are erratic, usually unearned, and often entwined with something less lovely, but they are lovely. The sight of Dutch's small, defiant face turned up to me today as we discussed her incentives, with her jutting chin, tangled hair, and lopsidedly magnified right eye peering through those despised glasses, was a reward. When she said that thinking about the bacon "makes my mouth water!" and then said thoughtfully "... I don't actually know what that means," that was a reward, too.
But I'd still like some stickers. And a prize.
*This is a very powerful incentive, because she's so sick of that damn interloping baby.
** That is a very specific list - the ketchup and jam are made in-house, and are delicious, so they have become a central part of the meal, rather than peripheral.
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