Nicholas Madelen, social studies teacher, has recently implemented a new strategy into his household in an attempt to foster better behavior amongst his children– a hierarchy. This approach ranks his children based on their behavior throughout the week. Good behavior puts them on top; bad behavior sends them to the bottom.
“My oldest daughter, Izzie, has an obsession with ‘Dance Moms’.” said Madelen. “I guess there is some ranking system in that, so that was the initial kicker for my own system.”
Beneficial actions, such as having good manners, helping mom out with moving furniture, and showing good sportsmanship can award them a higher rank on the ladder. Unfortunately, George, Madelen’s son, performed poorly at
football and was demoted.
“They get moved up on the ladder based on their behavior throughout the week, so my wife and I kind of just assign them things that we don’t want to do ourselves,” said Madelen. “And don’t worry; it’s not like they aren’t fed dinner if they’re on the bottom of the ladder.”
Every Sunday, the Madelens come together and discuss the new rankings based on the behavior of the children throughout the week. Madelen also makes sure the children understand why they are ranked where they are even though the children may disagree. While the strategy may seem impactful, Madelen is realizing that there are several different long-term effects that they may not have taken into account when introducing this new parenting strategy–strains in relationships, competition and rivalry between siblings, and anxious feelings.
“We’re a little worried about Charlie,” claimed Madelen. “She hasn’t ever made it to the top yet, so we’re afraid that Charlotte will have something to say about that especially if the dog makes it to the top before her. Yes, our dog is on the ladder, too.”
All in all, Madelen has pretty high hopes and expectations for his innovative work as he believes it may instill values of responsibility and respect into each of his children.
“I’ve only been doing this for three weeks now, so I couldn’t tell you how well it’s going to work two months from now,” said Madelen. “If it works, I’ll write a book about it, sell it, and make money off of it.”
Although there are several other ways to approach bad behavior, Madelen’s strategy is undoubtedly creative.
