I read about THE BEST idea last week! It's called Lucky Duck Day and it's intended to reduce sibling rivalry and squabbles throughout the day.
It goes like this: every day, one child is the Lucky Duck and it rotates in age order. We began with the youngest child on Monday, which I would not recommend because Jason was thoroughly confused on Tuesday why he's not the Lucky Duck EVERY day.
When a child is the Lucky Duck, they get to be the kid who goes on errands with Daddy, they can get in the van first and pick the "best" seat, choose the morning snack that we bring to the gym, run to the front door first when the doorbell rings (without being trampled by the other siblings), they get the choice of dessert (usually a fight over the "biggest" cookie) after dinner, I even went so far as to say that when two kids are fighting over a toy, the Lucky Duck gets the toy on their day. That child is essentially given preferential treatment all day long.
(You might be asking who "wins" a battle between two kids when neither is the Lucky Duck that day? That was Ryan's first question. He suggested that the person who is the Lucky Duck the NEXT day gets it because "it's been longer since they've been the Lucky Duck." I liked that logic.)
When a child is the Lucky Duck, they get to be the kid who goes on errands with Daddy, they can get in the van first and pick the "best" seat, choose the morning snack that we bring to the gym, run to the front door first when the doorbell rings (without being trampled by the other siblings), they get the choice of dessert (usually a fight over the "biggest" cookie) after dinner, I even went so far as to say that when two kids are fighting over a toy, the Lucky Duck gets the toy on their day. That child is essentially given preferential treatment all day long.
(You might be asking who "wins" a battle between two kids when neither is the Lucky Duck that day? That was Ryan's first question. He suggested that the person who is the Lucky Duck the NEXT day gets it because "it's been longer since they've been the Lucky Duck." I liked that logic.)
The Lucky Duck doesn't get to do whatever they want all day long, but when there's a question about "who goes first," my answer isn't always, "ladies first" anymore. That was creating an entitled little girl and resentful brothers. This way is much more fair in a world where fairness means everything to kids!
The bickering and competition in my house has reduced dramatically - and the kids think this is the greatest thing ev-ah. They can't wait for their Lucky Duck Day and treat the Lucky Duck like a king. It's like having a line leader in our home, if you want to think about it that way. They LOVE it.
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1 comment:
That sounds like a great idea! Can I offer a piggy-backing idea that struck me after I read that post? How about after the three days of Lucky Duck, there's then a 'Mother Goose Day' (or something else equally as silly yet related) where Mama declares that all three children have to come up with solutions TOGETHER as to sharing the role of Lucky Duck. So three days of individual stardom, followed by one day of creative co-operation. That way you can reinforce that they're not always going to be individually special, but also a united team.
Anyway, it's just a thought. I'm so glad Lucky Duck Days are working for you!
xoxoxoxoxo
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