{Super Kid!} A solution to sibling skirmishes

My parents started this with me and my 7 siblings while we were growing up when we couldn't seem to find a fair way to see who would be allowed to sit shotgun on the way to school. (Nowadays that's not a problem, eh? At least until the kids are 12! :)

So here's how it works:

One child is "Super Kid" for the week. His job is to set the table. He gets to "sit shotgun". If there's one extra cookie left, Super Kid gets it. If there are three different kinds to choose from, Super Kid chooses first.

Also, he gets to go on a "Super Kid Date" with Mom or Dad! That's one of my favorite parts, because it ensures that I will get one-on-one time with each of my boys to just go do something fun. Often we have Super Kid dates at home during Quiet Time or after bedtime, and they just LOVE that! We'll do a puzzle or play a game, and of course, have a treat.

Super Kid rotates to the next oldest child on Monday night. After Family Home Evening, as we're eating our refreshments, the new Super Kid is required to say something nice about each person in the family.

This system worked really well in my family growing up. If there were 8 popsicles to choose from and we all wanted the red one, Mom would always say, "Super Kid order." We knew that meant Super Kid got to choose first, then 2nd Super Kid, then 3rd, etc. (in order of age). This was nice because it was fair. It wasn't always the oldest getting her way. :)

So now we do it with our boys, and I can't tell you how many arguments it prevents. Thanks, Mom and Dad!