Sticker rewards - not working or working too well?

I started sticker rewards for Jonathan to encourage him to do things on his own. The original reward tasks were eating meals by himself, brushing his teeth, doing his homework (tracing, assigned by me), and getting up by himself. He started asking for stickers for everything.

Today he got out of bed by himself. He walked to our room and the first thing he said was: " 我自己起来了 (I got up by myself). Can I have a sticker?" I said yes. When it was time to help him change from his pajamas into play clothes, he insisted in taking off the pajamas by himself, and he did it with the slightest help. Then he insisted in getting the play clothes on by himself, including putting his socks on. He needed a little bit of help in getting the socks on. After he was done, he asked with a smile "Can I get a sticker?" Of course I said yes.

Then I tried to help him count by asking how many sticker he had earned. I prompted him by starting off with one for getting out of bed. When I asked him what else he did to earn a sticker, he thought for a bit and said:"I say to Daddy, 'Good morning Daddy. I love you.'" He didn't actually say that. So I pointed it out to him that he didn't do it and it was a lie. I would subtract a sticker. We went on to finish counting.

A little bit later I asked him to wait outside my room while I brushed my teeth. I heard him go down stairs and said to Albert, "Good morning Daddy. I love you. I miss you." Before Albert could reply, he said, "I need to go to Mommy now." He came up to me again and said, "I say to Daddy good morning, I love you and I miss you. Can I have a sticker now?"

Lately when he goes to potty, he deliberately puts his hands on his knees and leans forward so that he doesn't fall into the toilet. He makes a point to say:" 我没有摸东西 (I didn't touch anything). Can I get a sticker?"

Today he memorized Genesis 1:1. I was very happy and promised him 3 stickers. He said:"I want 4 or 5 stickers." He would recite it over and over. Each time after he was done, he asked for a sticker.

He went to church nursery and came out very happy. " 妈妈， 我没有哭 (Mama, I didn't cry). Can I have a sticker?"

He likes the concept of getting a sticker but doesn't usually follow through with getting them. Today he had already earned 5 stickers before he got down stairs. Once he came down, he got busy with playing with his Thomas train and didn't even ask for the stickers he earned. Later on he did get a few stickers. He brought them upstairs and put them in his drawers. After another recitation of Genesis 1:1, he asked for a sticker. I gave him back one of the stickers he brought upstairs, he was just as happy. I am glad he doesn't mind re-rewarding.

Numbers

8/30/11
Jonathan probably has a sense of the numbers in terms of its relative value.

Sometime last month, I tried to teach him manners about interrupting parents talking. My example was:"Excuse me Daddy, I need to talk to Mommy. Please stop talking for 1 minute." When it was his turn to rehearse, he said:"Excuse me Daddy. I need to talk to Mommy. Please stop talking for 5 minutes."

Today he was eating dinner, not liking what was served. We coaxed and played with him the whole time to get him to eat. At one point, he looked at his left wrist as if looking at a watch, and said:"Mom it is 5." I went along, "It is 5 already? Well it is time for dinner." He then looked at his wrist again, "Oh, it is 4."

There was another time I told him that he could watch DVD for 5 minutes. He said he wanted to watch for 10 minutes.

If I ask him which is longer time, he is not able to tell me. But intuitively he knows that 10 minutes is longer than 5 minutes and 5 minutes is longer than 1 minute. He seems to know also that 4 o'clock is before 5 o'clock in time.

9/2/11
Jonathan recited Genesis 1:1 by memory. I was very excited and promised him 3 stickers. He said, "I want 4 or 5 stickers." 

First Twins Game

He was more interested in the light rail than the game. He also remembered the mickey mouse.

Schwinn Ellipitical 431

8/14/11 Fitness test: 3 minutes score 21
8/15/11 Program Rolling Hills Level 1 20 minutes, 1.5 miles, HR 131, Watts 32
8/28/11 same program, 20 min, 1.5 miles, HR 121, Watts 29
8/30/11 same program. similar results

Almost 3

I made up a nursery rhythm for Jonathan when he was a baby. It goes like this:

好尊尊，乖尊尊，妈妈的好尊尊； 好尊尊，乖尊尊，爸爸的好尊尊。
尊尊好，尊尊乖，尊尊是妈妈的好宝宝； 尊尊好，尊尊乖，尊尊是爸爸的小老总。

Then it repeats itself with the following variation: 
尊尊好，尊尊乖，尊尊是外公的小 Q 蛋
尊尊好，尊尊乖，尊尊是外婆的 小心肝
尊尊好，尊尊乖，尊尊是Sophie 的 小肉丸.

A couple of days ago, I sang this to him again. He changed the lyrics to:
尊尊是外公的宝贝孙，尊尊是外婆的葡萄干。

宝贝孙 is how my dad calls Jonathan. My mom was the first to introduce 葡萄干 to him to eat. Now every time he talks on the phone or Skype with my parents, he tells them if we have 葡萄干 or if we run out of 葡萄干.

Sweet Little Boy

This past week has been a crazy week in that I have to be at work early or stay late almost every day. Monday was my late day. Tuesday morning I went to work at 7:30 AM and didn't get to see Jonathan in the morning. Then Tuesday night we had a provider meeting and I didn't get home until 9 PM. By then he was almost asleep. He sensed my return and woke up. He asked me to sleep beside him. I don't normally do this but felt quite guilty at that moment. So I laid down beside him. He wasn't sure how long I was staying and kept looking at me. I asked him to close his eyes to sleep. He finally asked:"你陪我？" I said, "yes. 妈妈陪你。" He put his arm around my neck and his face against my face and thanked me profusely with the sweetest smile:"Thank you thank you thank you Mama." It melt my heart. I knew I would stay until he fell asleep.

The Power of Suggestion

Jonathan is beginning to sit still and listen to me read a short book from cover to cover. His favorite in the last few days are Disel 10 Means Trouble and We Are Going on a Bear Hunt. Disel 10 is a mean disel engine in the Thomas and Friends series. In the book he is very mean and attempts to destroy all the steam engines. However, Jonathan loves Disel 10. He likes to talk to Disel 10. He tells him, "Disel 10, you are mean. Don't eat my blanket. Don't eat Thomas. Don't eat the bear." But then he tells me"I love Disel 10. He is my friend." He will kiss Disel 10 on the book. He loves to get excited when we get to the page of the bear. One time he told the bear:"You are mean, like Disel 10."

Tonight I asked him why he wanted to be a friend with someone so mean like Disel 10. Of course he didn't know, but he still wanted to be his friend. He did ask Disel 10, "Why are you mean?" Well, Disel 10 replied (through me)," I am not a Christian. I am just mean."

At one point, Jonathan asked him, don't eat my blanket. Disel 10 replied (through me of course), "I'm hungry." Jonathan prompted got an imaginary carrot,"I give you a carrot." To this Disel 10 hissed:"I eat fuel. I don't eat carrot." Jonathan had no idea what fuel was but he got a fuel and gave it to him:"Here Disel 10. I got you one fuel. Don't eat my blanket."

We read the story of Disel 10 book again. This time when Lady, the beautiful purple gold engine from the Magic Railroad came to rescue the steam engines. Lady spoke very softly (through me) to Jonathan:"Hi Jonathan! Nice to see you. You know Disel 10 tries to hurt me. Why are you friends with him? He is so mean. You shouldn't be friends with someone so mean." After that, Jonathan didn't want to be Disel 10's friend anymore because he was mean.

After a short while, Jonathan was friend with Disel 10 again. I asked him why he was a friend again. He replied:"He is not mean anymore. He give me a chance. He talks to me." He couldn't explain what the chance was. Maybe he was giving Disel 10 a second chance. I did tell him once that Disel 10 was mean in the book because he wasn't a Christian then. But he changed and became a Christian and became nice. He even helped Thomas and the other engines to complete the airport on the Island of Sodor (the last part was true from one of the Thomas engine episodes).

The young mind is so easily influenced by what we tell him. I have to be very careful with my words.

Another funny event. Yesterday I accidentally slammed the car door on my mom's fingers. I said sorry profusely to my mom. I thought to make it a point to teach Jonathan that we needed to apologize when we did something wrong. So as I drove off, I told him that I was wrong and was sorry. To my surprise, Jonathan told me,"我打你屁股. (I spank you)." We  all laughed. I told him that he could not spank me but grandma could. I told him that grandma could do that when we got out of the car. Then we all forgot about it when we got to our destination.

The toddler's mind is amazing.