MomTalk: What Are Your Thoughts on Paying For Good Grades?
Having good grades has always been important, but should money be an incentive to encourage children to get them?
Today, good grades are arguably more important than ever as college admissions processes become more and more competitive and college tuition becomes more and more expensive. Parents are well-aware that their children are going to need scholarships to attend colleges and many times, high grade point averages and high test scores help students score those scholarships.
What do you think about paying children for good grades?
Melanie Fleury, mother of four under the age of 7: In our family we expect A's , so we do not reward them for meeting our expectations. That being said, I am available to them at all times for support to reach that goal. I print out worksheets, reteach information, and buy workbooks. Whatever it takes for them to do their "job" well, I help them with. I feel that they should be intrinsically motivated to get good grades, and not expect a monetary reward. Later in life I think that this will serve them well. When they have a real job, they will do it well because of the pride they have in their work. If they earn a bonus or other reward, it will be a true "bonus" and not an expectation. That being said...if it works for other families, then I don't see anything necessarily wrong with it. I do think that it will create a situation where the child is working for the money and not the knowledge itself, which will not serve them when they are in higher schooling.
Mindy Blair, mother of three, the youngest is 16: I do not believe in rewarding children with money for good grades. I think this only works if the child understands the system of budgeting. Give a child a micro budget similar to a parent's own budget of food, clothing, place to live, etc. The monies that the child puts up in savings can be kept by the parent, otherwise it just teaches the child to do just what needs to be done to get what they want. It does not teach them initiative. A kind word should replace money. Money should be if the child goes above and beyond.
Monica DeLancey, mother of two, ages 8 and 10: Rewarding kids with money for good grades is good, but they must earmark the cash reward, for example, for a toy, book, clothes, etc. Also 10 percent must be given to charity of their choice.
What do you think about paying for good grades?
Tell us in the comments.
janis stevenson
6:28 pm on Saturday, March 5, 2011
My girls are still in elementary school so they don't get letter grades. I think money rewards for good grades is like rewarding your child for pottying on the toilet when they are potty training. Rewarding a child for something they are SUPPOSED to do encourages a dangerous sense of entitlement. That being said, I might change my mind when they are older but for now, if they come home with a specific honor, they are hugged and kissed more than usual and talked up among our family or maybe get an ice cream treat, to encourage the positive behavior. Kids need to do well for their own sense of self-esteem and self-worth, not for someone else's. Of course, all this is easy for me to say because at this point, my kids are good students and do well in school. If one of them fell off the truck, I am not sure what plan B would be! Hopefully this won't happen as we continually encourage them to do their best and praise them when they do.