We've done a variety of different things over the years to help our kids "readjust" to a straight path in life. They've been different depending upon the child (we've got 3). But here's one of 'em:
When our 11 year old son dumped all the dog poop for MONTHS over the fence to create a pile that my husband then stepped in the middle of the night when the circuit breaker went flooey, we gave him the next day to clean it up. He did not.
Then we "hired" my husband at his $50 per hour rate for 1.5 hours to clean it up, and "charged" my son at $6.00 per hour to pay that back. We removed everything from his room (including his bed) and he wouldn't get it back until he'd earned it back by labor at his $6 per hour rate. We left him with a sleeping bag and a pillow.
He ended up having to dig a trench at our rental house so we could lay water lines for a new washer/dryer system. It took him 10 hours. I packed him a lunch on a Saturday, gave him a bunch of water, and dropped him off with a pair of work gloves, a shovel, and written instructions.
(He had NO idea I parked around the corner and watched him for safety's sake).
When he finished, exhausted, sweaty, and sore and I picked him up - he said, "Okay - I've learned the value of using my brain for my future - AND of doing the right thing the first time."
Lesson learned.
Alisa
