I have a personality characteristic that I suspect is not uncommon but that will someday probably be called something like Long-cycled Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (LCADHD). I get interested in something and focus on it intensely for a period, usually somewhere between two days and two weeks. During that time, that one thing stays on my mind and I learn as much as possible about it as I can. Then at some point my interest level declines, either because I've accomplished something significant, learned most of what there is to know about it, or because it led to something else that becomes my new temporary obsession. This characteristic is one of the things that made school (especially college) challenging for me--unless my obsession coincided with what was being taught, I had a lot of trouble mustering up enough interest to stay focused. And even if I did, my interest never lasted long enough to carry me through the semester.

Today I'm starting a new series on the blog to share my short-term obsessions as they happen.

Growing up in the Houser household, my sister and I had to earn our allowance each week. In fact, each Sunday, sitting around the table after brunch, we had a family meeting to discuss a variety of family matters and one of those was whether we deserved our allowance, and if so, how much.

Our first allowance system was based on demerits: we would get a flat rate each week--I don't recall exactly how much, but probably around 50 cents--but the amount would be reduced if we misbehaved in certain ways or if we neglected certain chores. My dad had constructed a chart that we kept posted on our doors and the appropriate spot would be crossed out on the grid when we had an infraction. We would get deductions from our weekly take if we had a messy room, didn't brush our teeth or do our homework, didn't get to bed on time, misbehaved in church, took too long in the shower, or even left the lights on when we weren't in our rooms--fifteen categories of possible demerits.

That system ultimately wasn't working, I think because it required too much effort on my parents' part to record the demerits, so we soon switched to a different system where we had to "earn" our allowance. We got a new chart format where we had to mark our accomplishments. Then we were paid based on the number of those tasks completed based on a predefined rate chart. Practicing our band instruments was worth five cents for every fifteen minutes. Taking out the trash gained us ten cents; making the bed, five. The system also maintained the penalty provision where we could be given demerits for leaving lights on, long showers, or a messy room. But we also had the possibility of earning a bonus by performing a set number of tasks each week as long as we didn't have any demerits and had good behavior.

Although it all seems like an overcomplicated system, it was a successful tool in teaching us that you have to earn money rather than expecting handouts.

Check out the PDF of scans of our allowance sheets.