Money Makes the World Go Around..... and Around..... and Around

click here for the song

As we all know, Money Makes the World Go Around.  Our kids know this very well!  This very famous song from the show Cabaret (1972), shows us that money is important for basic needs and some luxuries.  For most of our kids, they are very familiar with the token economies that are very popular in behavior modification programs.  James has had a HUGE relapse in his need for frequent reinforcement.  He used to be able to go several days with the promise of something cool for his points he was earning at school.  Now every step, breath, movement he makes, he expects something in return.  I know it is just a matter of time before we get him back on track, but, for now, his need for this system is breaking us financially.
I spent much of today plotting, I mean planning, a new reinforcement system that hopefully will pass the cool reinforcement test.  I am trying to move away from the immediate reinforcement and have him instead wait for bigger payoffs, I mean payment, for service.  Those of us who hold jobs, get paid, and, right now, James' job is to get his behavior back in check so he can be in the world without making it angry at him.

I happened to find the most amazing site while looking for a program to print out fake bills to use as part of his plan:  click here for money site.  It occurred to me that no matter what form of "money" you use as payment, if our kids eventually don't learn how to do things for the pure enjoyment of a job well done, their lives will be poorer for it.  Maybe too philosophical for now, but I will keep trying to instill this desire into James.  For now, I am thankful that I can occasionally get him to do things "just cuz", and, for those times when I need a stronger payment package, I still have a Mark, a Yen, a Buck and a Pound.

to make the world go round no matter what face you
put on it, sometimes payment for simply breathing still doesn't seem worth the money!

My little man may be trouble with a capital T some of the time, but he is always worth a million. It says so... on the bill below!