Treasure Box

Channing gets to pick out of a treasure box every time he goes to clinic to reward him for going through something that was not fun.  Whenever Jakob comes he too gets to pick out of the treasure box.   Last Thursday when I dropped Jakob and Ema off at our friends house for the day, Jakob threw a fit.  He cried, screamed, kicked, and ran a couple houses down.  I really didn't want to take Jakob because then I have another child to entertain during a 4 hr clinic visit, so I tried to calm him down and left him screaming in my friends arms.  It broke my heart.  I pulled away and started crying.  I hate having to leave my children for that long, I hate that they are too little to truly understand and that they have to deal with all this, and I hate that my boys have to be separated so many times for such a long duration.  When Channing was diagnosed it was the first time that Jakob and Channing were apart for a night since they were born.  They have never before been apart like this, and I hate that it has to be this way.  The boys have always been on the same path, they have always done the same or very similar things at the same time.  It just is how it is with twins - its that special twin connection that everyone talks about.  Anyways, back to dropping Jakob off.  I have been racking my mind trying to figure out what I can do to make this easier on Jakob, and on all of us.  When I got back to my friends house to pick Ema and Jakob up, my friend told me something that Jakob had said.  Jakob said he likes going to Channing's doctor because he gets a prize.  My friend and I talked about it and we are going to do a treasure box for Jakob for every time I pick him up at her house.  This way he still gets to have fun with his friend, and I don't have to take him to Chan's doctor but he still gets the treasure that he desires and deserves.  I let the kids come with me to the dollar store and we bought a bunch of fun little things that I know the kids will enjoy for the treasure box.  I am excited to start this reward system and hope it turns out as good as my friend and I think it will :)

Maybe I need a chocolate treasure box to help me feel better and rewarded each time I have to drop my kids off ;)