It seemed like a good idea at the time

So I had this great idea to help motivate my kids to be well behaved. I would get a jar and fill it with buttons, and then have another empty jar. The kids could earn buttons for good behavior, one or two at a time, with a goal of filling up the empty jar and getting some wonderful incredible surprise at the end. I guess I didn't take in to consideration how greedy my children would become! Suddenly, every task became an opportunity to earn buttons. "Mom, how many buttons do I get for brushing my teeth?" "...putting on my socks?" "...eating my dinner?" What? When did this happen? When did we start getting rewards for doing the basic necessities of life? Then the kids tried to negotiate... "I'll give you five minutes of cleaning up for ten buttons, ten minutes of cleaning up for twenty buttons."

Suddenly, I am no longer Mommy, respected and revered, I am Keeper of the Buttons. I fear we must do away with the buttons all together. After all, I do want my children to be nice just for the sake of being nice, eat, for the sake of eating, and clean up, because, well this is my house and that they just have to do. Not for buttons.