Jesy's Little Girls (Little Mix Adoption Story)

Chapter 15 - Reward Charts

Jesy's POV

Ever since the dinner plate incident, Olivia's behaviour and anger and greatly improved. It was almost a week later and we had had no problems at all, but I had still been talking to the child psychologist who had suggested that I get both girls reward charts. 

Both classes at school used reward charts, where the children started in the middle and either went up to green or down to red depending on their behaviour, but when they went back, the teacher and I had decided to remove them from it at least for the start until they got used to the routine and they had their own little reward chart. I agreed that it might help them if they had a similar system at school and at home. The psychologist had given me a company that made lots of different types of charts and I had ordered a selection, a general behaviour for both girls and an eating and sleep chart for Eloise. I had been trying to get her to sleep in her own bed but so far it had been completely unsuccessful and all she had done was cry until I gave in and let her into my bed. 

The package of them had arrived today with a selection of smiley face and star shaped stickers. 

Me: "Girls, look what we've got," I called into the living room. They both came running in probably hoping it was something slightly more exciting that things that would make them behave. 

Olivia: "What is it?" she asked furrowing her eyebrows. 

Me: "These are special charts so that if you are good girls you can get special treats," I explain. "Olivia, this one is for you and these are for Eloise," I said passing them the charts. 

Olivia: "I don't want this," she said rudely passing it back to me. 

Me: "Well, you don't get a choice. This is what we are going to do now, if you can do these things in a day, like helping around the house and being polite then you can a sticker and if you get 30 stickers you can get a little treat and if you get 40 stickers then you can get a big treat," There were seven things to do in a day for seven days so I thought at 30, there can be a treat but any less than that is just rewarding for bad behaviour. 

When I ordered the charts and now attempting to implement them I started to feel like a proper parent, it was weird. Although I did feel a bit like I was pretending, still a bit of a parenting fraud. 

Me: "And Eloise these ones are super special because you get a sticker if you can go to bed by yourself like a big girl and eat your food like a good girl and you can get your special treat for all of these things " I had decided that Ellie could get a treat for eating and sleeping as well as general behaviour because I knew that she would find it difficult to eat and sleep according to the chart and would get discouraged if she didn't get a treat but her sister had. 

Eloise: "B-but I don't want to sleep in my own bed, I want to sleep with you," she said, tears springing up in her eyes. 

Me: "I know you do, but you'll sleep better in your own bed and big girls always sleep in their own bedrooms," 

Eloise: "T-then I want t-to stay little," she sobbed. Almost every single day these girls broke my heart and this was another comment that did exactly that. I lifted her on to my lap and she clutched my top straight away. 

Me: "You will always be my little girl, even when you get big but you have to sleep in your own bed," her sobs increased and I felt my top become wet. "I know you don't want to but we'll just try, okay, and you'll get to sleep in the same room as your big sister, that'll be nice won't it?" I tried convincing her. 

Eloise: "N-no," she sobbed louder. I didn't know what to say anymore I had run out of ways to convince her and it clearly wasn't working. I just held her, rocking back and forth waiting for the tears to stop. After a little while they did stop and she was left on my lap exhausted.