snowdeal.org > ex machina: the eric update - day 1702: the downside of structured incentives.

ex machina

the eric update - day 1702: the downside of structured incentives.

for quite some time we've been engaged in a mostly friendly "battle" with odin.

he wanders into our bedroom at night to snuggle with us and we take him back to his bed. the battle waxes and wanes; sometimes, for weeks at a time he sleeps soundly in his own bed. and other times we're carting him back to his bed several times a night.

seeking a constructive solution to the problem we resorted to trying an incentive program. for each night he slept through, he'd could put a sticker on a chart. we agreed on milestone incentives such as a trip to the children's museum after receiving 15 stickers before the main prize could be claimed - a new toy of his choosing.

It seemed to work fabulously for 40 nights. he slept in his own bed. we all awoke in the morning feeling well rested and happy. he savored the experience of putting a new sticker on his chart while monitoring his progress.

the very next night odin came toddling back into our bed. you might guess his answer when we asked him why he wasn't staying in his own bed anymore.

"because i'm not getting any stickers anymore."

hmmmm. suggestions?

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3/01/2009 09:33:00 PM 0 comments

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“"it is hard to be brave," said piglet, sniffing slightly, "when you're only a Very Small Animal." rabbit, who had begun to write very busily, looked up and said: "it is because you are a very small animal that you will be Useful in the adventure before us."”

the complete tales & poems of winnie the pooh

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this site chronicles the continuing adventures of my son, odin, who was unexpectedly born on the fourth of july at 25 weeks gestation, weighing 1 pound 7 ounces.

he's quite a fighter and you can always send him a postcard to the most current address listed here if you're inspired by his adventures. see the postcard project/google maps mashup to see a map of the postcards.

if you're new, you can browse the archives to catch up. and don't forget to watch a few movies that i made while we were in the neonatal intensive care unit. or if you want the abridged version and you can find a copy, you can read about his adventures in the november 2005 issue of parents magazine.

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