note from tara: jeff has wanted to hijack the blog forever now-unfortunately, the way i am about housework? yes, that is the way he is about writing things down. so, its taken awhile. i thought it might be fun every once in awhile to get his point of view on how things go around here. his category is called “the better half”. his idea. im allowing it.
So about a week ago I brought flowers home for Tara and made some comment about earning some brownie points with the wife. Pretty typical but this time Drew (10 years old) heard the word brownie and instantly wanted some. He started to pepper me with questions about these mysterious points like: what are they? What can you buy with 10 brownie points? And most importantly he wanted to know how he could acquire some of his own.
Brownie points are such a vague thing that I had trouble convincing him that they actually exist at first. I mean what exactly is a brownie point and what exactly do you get for one? I ended up giving him a sweeping generalization that they were a favor or something nice you did for someone who would later repay the favor for you. However, this course of reasoning cracked and crumbled under the inquisitive questioning of a 10 year old. When my answers didn’t add up for him, he asked, “OK, well how many brownie points do I need to get a soda?” And then it happened…
I was about to explain that brownie points don’t work like that and I am sure he would have blown the whole thing off as some kind of prank I was trying to pull. But then I got a quick glimpse into the possible gold mine I had stumbled across.
“Well…” I answered, “uummm… 7 brownie points for a soda.”
And he bought it! Not only did he buy it but he quickly rushed to inform his brother that for a measly 7 brownie points they could get a soda. The idea spread like wildfire to the other children and soon I had them all frothing at the mouth to earn some brownie points. I would just arbitrarily assign point values to things like 12 points for 30 minutes of gameboy time. You wouldn’t believe how effective this technique has been. All I have to do is mention brownie points and I can get the kids do the dishes, bring in the groceries, quiet down in the car, or give me a quick back rub.
And the fact that I am so arbitrary with my distribution of the points just seems to whip them up into a frenzy even more. I may very well be sick and wrong, but it is so much freakin fun to just randomly award McKenna with 100 brownie points and watch the chaos erupt. To regain control I simply start giving out brownie points to the kids that calm down.
My friend Jon made the funny observation that I am the Drew Carey of Brownie Points. We used to get so riled up when he would just randomly award points on the show Whose Line Is It Anyway?
I am sure that very soon the gig will be up, but until then I can answer the question: What can you buy with 7 Brownie Points?
a can of soda = 7 brownie points
30 minutes of game time = 12 brownie points
staying up an extra hour after bed time = 17 brownie points
4 mislead children and 1 resourceful dad… priceless.
-Jeff, aka the better half
GENIUS!!!!
oh my gosh…i love this idea and i’m implementing it immediately!!! we have been out of school for 2 days…yes TWO and i’m already going insane!!! thanks for sharing Jeff! Tara…can’t wait to see you!!!
Ummm… could I BE laughing any harder?!! LoLoLololol Twisted AND priceless, WTG papa bear ;) (btw, mine started his own blog… and then another one for his students for the same disclaimer reasons ;) haha)
I love your commentary, Jeff. So fun to read your point of view (no pun intended.)
ha, that is great!
See, it would never work at my house. The minute my kids get what they want, they stop doing stuff.
They were doing chores for allowance. They earned enough to get DS’s, then quit the chores.
I need a foolproof way to get them to go back to the chores!
YOU are priceless. and in my next life, I want to come back as another child to you and Tara:) Please?
Hilarious!!! I’m so writing that in my ‘when the kids are older’ book.
OMG, Little twisted and a lot of fun! Brilliant.
That is hilarious! But now I’m craving brownies! Jeff should be allowed to hijack the blog more often but as a married woman I’m sure the title is all wrong….
oh, this had me laughing out loud! Hmmm…how can I get this gig going at my house?! :)
Hilarious. I say ride that train as long as possible of having one up on them. We trick our three-year-old all the time…:;)
jeff can stay. LOVVEE it!
Classic!
Jeff, i knew you looked like a good guy!! :) More “better half” please!!
(Tara, your a lucky girl!)
What makes this gold is the complete lack of real structure! I love it!
laughing.lauging.LAUGHING.
Such a guy kind of thing to come up with (us moms work way to hard to try and do the very same thing, of course). So starting this. I wonder if a six and three year old will grasp the concept. I’m with another commenter…it’s been one week off school (of six total) and I’m already desperate for ways to get mine in control! Brownie points versus threats of repeated lashings sounds better I think.
LOVE IT! Not only is Tara funny, but then you have to add dad too. Blog stalker upgrade! :)
LOL>>>that’s hilarious jeff!
aren’t kids awesome LOL!?
tara pakosta
I just want to let you know that I check your blog almost every day. It always makes me smile. I absolutley love your photos. And reading Jeffs post about brownie points just cracks me up, because my kids were wondering what they were just a while ago, what a genius way of using them! thanks for the laugh! From way up here in Langdon, AB. Canada
Oh my gosh – hilarious!! I love the reference to Drew Carey too – random points awarder. I have 4 kids and I can just imagine the frenzy this creates!
oh you are too good.
i’ll have to remember this one for when I have kids. but course the point value will be way higher by that time.
That is too funny – we do the same thing at our house! We started with the idea that you have to get 100 points to get a new small toy or something special, and the kids don’t even seem to care about the thing that they get…they just want the points!!! We have been going up and down with points for about a month! This post made me laugh so hard – you guys are so good with stories.
oh my, that is too funny!
Wow. I would figure that Mr. Tara Whitney would come up with something clever like this. Who else would Tara find but someone like this. My only question is does he have his own permanent blog site so we don’t have to wait for him to hijack Tara’s site again? If not, Tara, please please let him do more. He must have other wonderful ideas and we need to hear them!
i think i’m in love with you jeff whitney…i’m not kidding. i needed you to post this. i’m super good with BS but i’ve been looking for a new line of it for like two weeks now, the old crap isn’t working anymore. this is going to be pefect. yeah for brownie points!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
p.s. tara is ALWAYS the better half but i’ll let you have that one tonight cause i’m lovin this post.
Cute idea with the Jeff commentary! I totally laughed out loud… feel free to “bribe” my chillins if they ever happen to be around! Totally not above bribing kids to get them to behave or do something!! I’m going to try this concept out with Wesley at the beginning of summer. Next thing you know… you’ll be havin to explain “brown noser” :-)
Well.. I am awarding 3 brownie points to this post.. 1 because it is freaking cool that Jeff posted.. 2nd.. he is ALMOST as funny as Tara. ;) and .. 3rd because he is whopping SuperNanny and the naughty step (Jeff- if anyone asks this is extrinsic motivation.. ).. and Tara… the better half? oh dear…
JEFFIE
Leave it to my brilliant son in law to come up with this one!! Kudos Jeff, you might have to package this one..
Did Tara know she had competion in the better half department??
Love you Guys!!
Tara LOVE the pictures on you wall /they came out amazing!!!
oxox
hahahaha love this too – i am a teacher of Kindergarten aged children (in New Zealand this is 3 and 4 year olds) and I am thinking this may be worth a try….. knowing them they will want the real brownies (that they can make too!!!!)
mandyb from a very cold New Zealand
hee hee! Jeff – I can totally see you getting the 3 younger ones all riled when you give McKenna 100 bonus pts. You charm little ones like the Pied Piper. Mr. Cool, you are. — And yes, I realize I sounded a bit like Yoda!
The pure innocence of children and one corrupted (clever) daddy! Absolutely love it!
Oh my gosh this sounds just like my dad! He used to get us to clean up the yard by saying he’d pay a nickel to the kid who made the biggest pile of rocks or sticks or gumballs or whatever. We’d run around in a frenzy, knocking each other over to get the biggest pile. It really wasn’t about the nickel- just winning. It must have looked really funny to the neighbors-
Ahhhh! That’s so me!!! No one I know can fold clothes the way I have to have them…apart from my daughter who is learning it from me. I’m doing myself no favours raising 3 boys and one husband who think they can’t fold clothes!!!
hahhahahahaha!!!!!
Well if you watch nanny 911 or those parent rescue shows, they always suggest having a behavior modification system in place. As a special ed teacher I agree 100%
I think it’s awesome. You could even make up little brownies on paper (print them out) with numbers on them, and have the kids turn them in to you. It will help with numeracy and their overall understanding of earning, saving and spending. Woohoo:)
Jeff,
I award you 50 brownie points for writing such a witty and helpful blog :o)
Oh my gosh….a GOLD MINE indeed!!!!!!! I HAVE to try to manipulate my three as well…hehe!!! Love it!!!
how funny!!!!
ok Jeff needs to start his own blog so we can all get laugh daily. he is an incredible writer!
so demented and fabulous! i agree it’s our job as parents to keep the kids on their toes. thanks for the giggles with my morning coffee.
this has to be one of the most hilarious posts I’ve seen in a while. You crack me up, Jeff! I’m gonna have to introduce this system to my kids when they get older. :)
Way too funny! My only question is…how do you keep track of the “brownie points”?
How many brownie points for a photo session with Tara?
Totally sick- I will implement as soon as I press “Submit Comment”
LOL hahahaha THIS is the best! As I was reading I am sitting here thinking.. Boy, if that doesn’t sound like something my hubby would come up with. …hahahaha Brilliant work.. I am sure your kids are going to be trying to score Brownie Points for some time to come. What fun!!! :0)
Enjoy your Brownie Point Summer!
huh-larious!
i’m so stealing that idea. :)
Oh my gosh! He is funny – how fortunate of you to have such a hilarious guest blogger living in-house. That comment about whipping them up into a frenzy by arbitrarily assigning brownie points was priceless! Would totally work at my house =)
sweeeeeet! brillance at it’s finest…..now, on to try this at home! thanks for sharing your gold mine!
Oh how stinkin’ funny! Now if I could pass it off on my kids…
That is awesome! And I love that you just hand out the points in a totally random fashion. I’ll bet it’s hysterical to watch!
LOL- I think that I am going to have put in a request for more of the “better half blog posts”. That was perfect! :)