Rewarding Good Grades and Good Behavior

Buttercup is sporting some shiny new earrings this week!  I finally took the plunge and allowed her to have her ears pierced.  It was a total surprise to her and her little smile showed me she was thrilled to pieces.  But I’m not sure which part of the whole idea thrilled her most, the fact that she was getting earrings, or that I kept up my end of a deal with her.

At the beginning of 2nd Grade, I made a pact with her that if she did really well in her first grading period, she would have he opportunity to get her ears pierced.  In addition to doing well in school, she had to demonstrate good behavior throughout.  Well November rolled around and parent teacher conferences went swimmingly.  Buttercup was reading well, taking initiative and steadily moving forward.   But, she had some disciplinary issues to resolve.  It was a challenge for her, but over the next month and a half, she steadily improved her behavior and made the right choices when presented to her.  She made me proud and so deserving of getting her ears pierced.

Flash forward to Christmas Break at a local Claire’s accessory store.  She and I were looking at scarves and I saw the ear piercing station.  A quick call to the husband to see if we were on the same page led me to asking Buttercup if she was ready to take this big step.  She was excited but nervous at the same time.  The idea of the getting the holes in her ears weighed on her just a bit, but after a moment, she said I sure am.  Buttercup sat there, had the employee pierce one ear and then the other with no flinching and facial expressions.  She rocked it.  And now, she has beautiful little purple earrings in her ears to remind her of what success and good behavior will do for her.  Most of all, she knows that her mom and dad keep their promises.