Let's Play!

Charlene Ross’ Blog on skirt!  asks the question, should we pay our children for good grades?  I believe in praising not only children but anyone who does a good job.  Positive reinforcement; reinforcing positive behavior, by definition can’t be negative.  A few weeks ago when Matthew brought home an excellent report card, I told him I’d take him to the store to get a treat.  I knew his father was already thinking about putting some money in his Easter card for the holiday and for the good grades but I still wanted to give him a prize.  I instructed my son to start thinking about what he wanted so that we didn’t have to wander the isles aimlessly once we got to the store.

Lo and behold, we ended up wandering around the store aimlessly.  We were in search of a good prize.  Nerf guns, Lego’s, video games, what was it going to be?  A little surprised and rather grateful that none of those things inticed my 11 year old, we moved to the “summer” section of the store, where the Frisbees and badminton sets were displayed.  Since we couldn’t decide between a Frisbee, a badminton set or a four-square ball, I told him we could get all three things.  After all, they were “really” good grades and all of the items would benefit the whole family.  I told Matthew when he’s at his father’s house, he should encourage his dad to get out and do activities also.

I was rather excited to get started playing with our summer toys.  When we got home, we broke out the badminton set and played on the front lawn until it got too cold.  We took our game to the living room and every night since that first one, we’ve continued to play either in the living room after dinner or on the front lawn.  During Spring Break, we took the Frisbee and the ball to the school playground and played.  As we built up a sweat, I realized these activities are a sneaky way to get in some exercise.  As the days are warming up and summer vacations are on my mind, I realize how important “playing” is.  We all know the importance of exercise; cardio, weight training and all the benefits, bla bla bla, how boring!  Try challenging an 11 year old boy to a game of handball, believe me, you’ll feel the benefits.  You’ll not only be building muscle and endurance but relationships and memories.  I’m so grateful to have a playmate and look forward to an activity filled summer of bike riding, swimming, hiking and just “playing.”  I guess in the end we were both rewarded for the good grades.