The badge concept has been a success. To reach the rank of Yard Worker, my children had to earn badges for weeding, trimming and mowing as well as the advanced square-foot garden badge. Because our yard had been hammered by six active children and non-green thumb parents, we did the work in three phases.

The reward was a small, nonmotorized scooter for each child.

If my husband and I had laid out the hours and requirements for these badges beforehand, we would have had a mutiny on our hands.

But with this system, the kids were excited to do it.

We finished the yard with minimal fuss, and the children are now enjoying scooters. And staying physically fit, to boot!

As a mother, I'm loving this. Rather than me doing it all, many household tasks have the potential to become a skill badge.

Break a lamp? Learn to fix it and earn a badge. Rip a pillow? Learn to sew and earn a badge.

So this summer, try shortening the tow rope and come up with a creative solution to a problem.

E-mail: info@LIFEChangeProgram.com