Have a “home Auction” With Your Children When They Cannot Do Something Peacefully
There will always be fights with siblings over who will name the new puppy, who will pick the movie for Movie Night, who will become the green gingerbread man in Candy Land, and other issues that change as quickly as one can scream. : “This is so unfair!” Instead of getting upset, parents can help them resolve the dispute amicably by holding an auction on the house. This is a tactic outlined in The Game Theorist ‘s Guide to Parenting by Paul Raeburn and Kevin Zollman, which also gave us a brilliant strategy for dividing things between children, “I Allow, You Choose . “ For anything that isn’t shared, ask your kids to “place bets” around the house, and whoever wants it the most will get it.
Here’s how it might end:
Start by announcing a simple job: picking up one toy. Anyone wishing to pick up a toy should raise their hands to receive an LL Bean sleeping bag. All hands go up – a valuable sleeping bag!
Now make the job more burdensome: perhaps clean out the entire room. See if anyone drops out. Keep doing even more disgusting activities until there is only one child left. This not only ensures that the child who cleans the most is the one who wants the prize the most, but also fulfills some of the chores around the house at the same time. A win-win. And now that you are auctioning everything in the house for chores, there is only one thing left to do: sit down and count your loot.
The authors note that house auction works best with children with similar abilities – older children can do more things than younger children and therefore have an edge. Kids can also gamble on other things: cash allowance, push-ups, back rubbing for mom, etc. In the end, it helps your kids think about what they value and hey, it can make your home cleaner. …