LOOPS!

Hey look, over here! I've got something to show you. See these pieces of yarn looped together? I get them whenever I'm good or do something nice, like pet the kitty and don't chase him around, or when I cooperate for diaper changes instead of running away or acting like a squirmy bear.

As you can see, I'm very proud of my loops. My mommy said to stand next to them and smile for the camera. This is how I smile on command (and I think I deserve a loop for it)!
Okay, I think I'll let mommy take it from here...

A while back, I was talking with my friend Jill, and she described a positive reward system she uses with her boys, ages 4 and 2. Each boy has a jar and every time they do something good, such as be nice to each other or pick up their toys without being asked, they get to add a piece of pasta to the jar. Once the jar is filled, they get something they've wanted for a while, or get to go and do something fun. I thought I'd try something similar, but with my own twist. I cut a bunch of colorful pieces of yarn and when Silas does something "good" we let him choose a piece of yarn and loop it to the piece above it. We put a nail near the ceiling and the loops are trailing down from it.
Once the loops reach the floor, he'll get to do something special. We'll be emphasizing experiences over just getting an object of some kind. Right now, he'll most likely just ask to see Patrick. This is a positive reinforcement technique, so it's not used to threaten him, meaning, we never say "if you don't cooperate, you won't get a loop." He simply gets a loop if he's good and that's that. We give him two loops if he uses the potty, since we are really bumping up the potty training efforts at the moment. So far, this has been a successful endeavor and Silas seams to be getting it. We'll see where it leads.