Here's what I was starting with last night:
Regular Chores:
Take out garbage from house to can as needed; take can to street each week
Mow grass during summer (every two weeks); get up leaves this spring and in the fall
Keep bedroom and game room clean; clean up after self in other rooms
Help (not do it all) with general cleaning, including sweeping or mopping floors, every two weeks
Do own laundry
Cook one meal a week
Help with smaller chores as needed or requested- such as loading or unloading dishwasher, carrying in groceries, etc.
Allowance to be discussed- depending on what I can afford and what youll be expected to pay for yourself.*
* There will be opportunity to earn extra money on occasion by doing things like washing the car, cleaning/washing the porch, etc.
Other Expectations for No Pay & House Rules:*
House Projects (One at a time, while Im at home, as time and money allow): Clean gutters, help repair damaged walls and replace doors, paint upstairs bathroom, clean yard, clean out and organize storage shed, other to be determined (this is to repay me for restitution, previous defense attorney fees, credit card debt, and damage to house)
Keep passing grades at school on each quarterly (9 week) report card
Do homework and school projects as required
No suspensions from school
Be respectful to me and obey rules
Propose and discuss ways to manage time regarding doing chores, homework, school projects, time with mentor, and free time
Never leave home without permission and me knowing where you are going, what youll be doing, and wholl youll be with, and having a time to return home established
No computer usage without permission and supervision- the computer is an absolute requirement for the only income coming into this house at this point and needs to be viewed as our only means of keeping a home and buying groceries
Take consequences for any violation of house rules without rebellion
No staying awake outside of bedroom all night long- no sneaking to play games, use telephone, or watch movies, etc, during the night
No smoking cigarettes at any time or place
I need to meet any friends you are spending time with outside of school and know where they live or talk to their parents
You'll be allowed to date, but no dates with a girl alone or without prior permission
No habit of cussing
TV is allowed during free time; You will be allowed to watch any movie or TV show not rated R or higher (M or X)
XBOX is allowed during free time; No M rated games; T requires approval but no extreme violence or blood/gore as a general rule
Socializing with friends will not be allowed every day (we can discuss appropriate boundaries for this after learning school and mentor schedules)
Free time should be available most every day, except if lost or extremely busy
No phone calls between 9:30 PM and 9:30 AM
Friends will be allowed to spend the night on occasion if not a school night, if I know them, and I have spoken with the parent
We will discuss having one period of time per week to talk about how this is working, any concerns, etc.; any very important topic can be discussed at any time
We will have one night per week (most, if not all, weeks) for family night to do something together that we both enjoy
Consequences for these things will be discussed but will be along the lines of loss of privileges for a certain period of time, extra work or homework, fine (loss of allowance), etc.; repetitive rule-breaking will result in report to parole officer
*These things will be discussed and reviewed in approximately 3 months (at the end of the school year), and again 3 months after that (when the next school year has started)
Zero Tolerance:
Aggression or violence to any living being
Stealing from me, car, or home
Further damage to house, the car, or anything in either
Disappearing from home or being 30 minutes or more late returning home
These things will result in a 911 call to the police.
Parole Expectations:
Any parole violation will be reported to the parole officer
Any illegal offense not resulting in a 911 call will be reported to the parole officer (this is per the parole officer- not to call 911, but report it to him- apparently this is how they try to deal with things like truancy or experimenting with drugs, etc., in a way that prevents incarcerating them again if possible))
(We don't really have access to x-rated stuff on tv and I have parental controls set, but I just want him to know that if he finds a way around this or gets an x-rated movie from a friend, there's going to be a consequence.)
As a reminder, he recently turned 15 yo and has been incarcerated since 2 weeks after he turned 14yo.