Bryn's Perfect Report Card & the Power of a Good Incentive

Bryn was, hands down, the best swimmer in her class at school. In her cubby today was a checklist that was completed by the summer swimming instructors. On every skill, from side (rotary) breathing to the beginning skills of the butterfly stroke, Bryn got a perfect score. To celebrate her perfect report card, I got Bryn a little present -- more sticker mosaics, which she had enjoyed during our summer vacation.
Luke and Bryn keep score when it comes to who gets what, and as expected, Luke was not pleased that Bryn got a present and he didn't. I tried to explain that sometimes when we work hard, and achieve something great, we are rewarded. This reply didn't sit well with Luke. So I said, "Tell you what. When you can write your name by yourself, without tracing dots, then you, too, will get a present."
You won't believe what happened next.
Luke got up off of the floor of the playroom and grabbed a sheet of paper. He then wrote the most perfect "U" I have ever seen -- something he has never done before. An "L" he can do -- that's been the only letter that he has ever attempted by himself up until this point. He then drew a straight line to begin the "K." He needed some help with the location of the next two strokes in the K, but all it took was my drawing two dots from which to start the diagonal lines that intersect the vertical line in the middle. And given that he can write an "L," writing the "E" was no problem. So he did it five or six more times, and just like that, Luke is now writing his name.


So we got in the car and went to Mapes (toy store) and after much deliberation and browsing, Luke walked out with, of course, more Matchbox cars.