Why The Voucher System Was Created

(1994) Our oldest daughter, Christa, struggled with ADD and what seemed to be brain injury from a difficult birth. She was diagnosed with bipolar at age 18. Her behaviors became out of control when she was around eight-years-old. Christa is very creative, but it was hard to tap into her talents because so much of her energy was spent just trying to maintain normalcy, and stay out of trouble. After trying everything to manage behaviors I became desperate to find solutions.

Living with ADD myself, I needed a simple method of discipline that was fun, and combine reward and discipline. It had to be something we would not grow tried of, and the kids had to like it. Most of all, it had to help my ADD child control behavior without consequences that made her feel angry or self-defeated.Methods I had used in the past worked for a while, then fizzled out, and they only dealt with a few things. What I really wanted was a catch all for parenting. "Good luck", right? That's what I thought! Then, one day while watching a talk show, a counselor said something that made sense. She said that "privileges" were something kids earn aside from their basic needs. So if privileges needed to be earned, I needed to find a way to build incentive. "The Voucher System" was the result.

A few days after we started using "The Voucher System," Christa's behaviors and habits dramatically improved. She was relieved to finally have these things under control. Every area of Christa's life changed within a very short time. The joys of parenting returned! To my delight, her strong willed sister responded just as well. We used it for eight in our home; and over 14 years thousands of other families have used it to mange behaviors successfully.

Jordan's Story
There was a knock on the door . . . it was Jenny, the mother of eight-year-old Jordan. He had become so out of control that Jenny was ready to give up. Jenny seemed angry. I was afraid she was going to say something dreadful to me.

Jenny had been dealing with Jordan's angry outbursts with no reprieve. She was afraid he might really hurt someone. After Jenny shared this with me, I suggested she try The Voucher System. That was a week ago.

As I opened the door she began speaking, almost in tears. "I can't begin to tell you what has happened." I braced for the worst.

"Jordan is a totally different kid. I can't believe the change! He isn't mean to his little brother any more, and he's taking responsibility even in the little things, like putting his bike away without being told! I thought we were going to have to put him on medication, but he is doing so well that Jim and I have decided to wait. Jordan is giving, and caring, and treats his sister better than he ever has. That in itself is a miracle!"

I stood there with my mouth open in amazement as she went on for ten minutes extolling the virtues of The Voucher System and how it changed Jordan from a terror into an absolute joy to be around.

What's Included in The Voucher System...

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