Ticket Your Kids FOR ALL THOSE HOUSEHOLD VIOLATIONS

BY sandy meindersma rob zammarchi, illustrator

What do you find yourself telling your kids over and over again? Is it "turn the lights off?" Or "pick up your clothes?" What about the whining? And the arguing?

What if there was a way to make sure that your beloved offspring get the message without having to yell, scream, issue some form of Draconian punishment? What if there was a way that was easier than doing it yourself?

What if it were as simple as writing a ticket, like a police officer?

In fact, there is.

Tom Barone of Wayland created "Ticket-A-Kid" as a way of making the point that certain (ahem) behaviors are unacceptable without all the yelling, screaming and frustration that come with repeat offenses.

It all started one day several years ago when he came home and found all of the lights on in his son's room, even though Michael was downstairs watching television.

"I grabbed a pen and a piece of paper; I wrote his name on it and right below it, I wrote DUE - $1.00," Tom said. "He didn't really know what was going on, so he went and got me the dollar."

Ticket-A-Kid founder Tom Barone of Wayland with wife, Linda Barone

And Ticket-A-Kid was born.

Designed like the City of Boston's parking tickets, Ticket-A-Kid is a pad of 15 two-part carbonless tickets, with a bright orange ticket for the child and a copy that stays in the book as a permanent record of the offense.

Some of the offenses: Jumping on the Furniture - $1; Leaving TV/Electronics on - $1; Leaving Outside Door Open - 50 cents; Lying - $2; Talking Back - $1 and Not Listening/Obeying - $1.

The comprehensive list includes 42 offenses in all, plus a line for "Other." There is also a box to double the fine, or to give a credit if a parent wants to reward good behavior.

Following the parking ticket model, there is a box at the top of the ticket that lists the day and time of the offense, the officer (Mom or Dad) and the offender's name.

Parents can also check whether the ticket is a warning or a full-blown violation.

The Barones deduct the cost of the offenses from the child's allowance and put it in a savings account to fund the next year's school supplies or for college. "So it all goes back to them eventually," he said.

For Tom's wife, Linda, the tickets have come in handy. "For me, the biggest thing was the answering back. It's definitely gotten better."

Linda said their children were preteens when Tom began using the tickets. "That's the prime age," she said. "My son especially hated giving up anything."

Linda said the children were stunned when the tickets were first introduced. "They weren't sure if we were going to keep it up," she said. "But it was so easy for us. They really started to hate it."

Tom and Linda's daughter, Natalie, age 14, said she doesn't like the tickets. "But I'm more responsible now - I don't get as many tickets as I used to." She said she gets most of her tickets for having a messy room.

Ticket-A-Kid worked so well for his own family, Tom is now sharing his idea with everyone.

After getting the copyright in 2005, he began to look for a vendor to print the tickets, eventually turning to a friend on the Wayland Police Department to get the name of their printer.

He then gave a stack of a dozen books to the Funusual store in the Faneuil Hall Marketplace on a trial basis. They sold out in less than three days.

Tom said he is looking for local retailers to sell his books, which retail for $5.99 each.

Ticket-A-Kid is already making its way across the country, as Tom just mailed an order to a woman in Indiana.

"I told my husband there was hope, and we didn't have to kill the kids," the customer wrote on her order form. She found out about Ticket-A-Kid while seeking advice on how to handle her three boys, ages 12, 9 and 6.

Ticket-A-Kid ticket books are now available at Tom's Mr. Music store in Allston or online at ticketakid.com.

Sandy Meindersma lives in West Boylston with her husband (who likes the tickets) and her two children (who don't).