Reward for report cards?

logdog wrote: I dont have kids but I saw one on tv. I would tell them "get A's or the boogy monster will eat your brains while you sleep". Then I would put some sort of a random noise maker in their closet.

Laughed so hard I woke up the baby. Thanks Ahole.

wbjones wrote:

dj06482 wrote: My parents always took my brother and .... I ...out for dinner to celebrate our report cards.

and I guess we can assume that grammar wasn't one of the ones for which you received dinner .....

It gives me great pleasure when the grammar police can't even form a complete sentence.

We're here to enforce the law, not follow it. You ever see a cop drive the speed limit.

isn't getting to keep the PS3/X Box/Atari 2600 enough of a reward for a job well done?

Yeah, I pay for grades. I start out with a base amount of $1 for a C and then that doubles for every half grade increase: $2 for a C+, $4 for a B, etc... A+'s come out to $32 each. Wanted to show them that if they push just that extra little amount to pull a half grade better, the reward will show. On the other end, D's will get them $0 and an F will wipe out the entire report card. On their seven subject report cards, my son was pulling in between $120 and $150, my daughter about $60 to $90.

dj06482 wrote:

wbjones wrote:

dj06482 wrote: My parents always took my brother and .... I ...out for dinner to celebrate our report cards.

and I guess we can assume that grammar wasn't one of the ones for which you received dinner .....

It gives me great pleasure when the grammar police can't even form a complete sentence.

the and was just a way to tie into your sentence ....

the I in the place of me is one of my pet peeves ... you would NEVER say "my parents always take I out to dinner" .... why would you say it when including your brother in the sentence ?

I know when I was younger and in school I would get bored very easily. When I got bored I didn't do my work. My parents tried the whole reward for grades thing, it would work for that term then as soon as it was gone back to slacking off. I just wasn't interested in what was being taught to me a great deal of which I already knew. My grades in general sucked and eventually I was kicked out of private school because of them.

I am now finishing up college and I have been on the Deans List virtually every term I have been enrolled.

poopshovel wrote:

logdog wrote: I dont have kids but I saw one on tv. I would tell them "get A's or the boogy monster will eat your brains while you sleep". Then I would put some sort of a random noise maker in their closet.

Laughed so hard I woke up the baby. Thanks Ahole.

Glad I could help!

Here is an idea: Rather than reward them with money, reward them with something they want. Get bad grades? Bedtime is 8:30 and you don't get your XBox. C's and B's gets you 9:00 and 30 minutes of game stuff. A's and B's, 9:30 and an hour, and straight A's gets you 10:00 and an hour of video games and something else--maybe a PG-13 movie.

They'll likely be able to figure out another way to get money soon. Reward them with the intangibles.

Only 22 w/o any children.

Mercilessly beat them for anything less than an A. Acknowledge straight A's with a short nod that sends the message "You have done your job, no beatings today". For A+ you may say "That didn't suck as bad as usual" or "don't let this go to your head retard - everybody gets lucky once".

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: Mercilessly beat them for anything less than an A. Acknowledge straight A's with a short nod that sends the message "You have done your job, no beatings today". For A+ you may say "That didn't suck as bad as usual" or "don't let this go to your head retard - everybody gets lucky once".

MOM? Is that you?

my incentive was being able to play sports .... I ran CC in the fall, played BB in the winter, and ran track in the spring ... if I let my grades fall the threat ( followed through on ) was ... the season was over ... it only took loosing one season to bring the D's to C's and B's

There's an understanding around chez Curmudgeon: Daddy is the only one with admin priviliges on the wireless router.

dj06482 wrote: My parents always took my brother and I out for dinner to celebrate our report cards.

We also did this as a family. My dad was an educator (and hardass!) and he didn't think a financial incentive was appropriate. My wife, who has also done very well in life had the opposite experience.

Of course, like anything in a marriage, it's probably something you need to negotiate with your wife.

rebelgtp wrote: I know when I was younger and in school I would get bored very easily. When I got bored I didn't do my work. My parents tried the whole reward for grades thing, it would work for that term then as soon as it was gone back to slacking off. I just wasn't interested in what was being taught to me a great deal of which I already knew. My grades in general sucked and eventually I was kicked out of private school because of them. I am now finishing up college and I have been on the Deans List virtually every term I have been enrolled.

Not out to bust your balls, but there's a lot of research out there about the importance of perserverance as it relates to long term success. "Being bored" and not committing to the work is not perseverance.

Most of the success in life comes from showing up and doing the work, not being the champ on an IQ test or being constantly stimulated. That's the message I teach to my kids anyway.

As a parent it's also been difficult to find that balance between the inner rewards of a job well done and external rewards (like money). Not all hard work is rewarded, or even appreciated.

This is a book that was useful to me: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0547564651

They will spend their entire lives being required to do things they are not passionate about where the only reward is money, and it will frequently be for a shamefully paltry sum.

What's wrong with training them to do it for the money?

Full disclosure... we have never rewarded with money. But we may have been wrong. I see nothing wrong with helping them learn how to handle the pitiful reward that money is from the loving safety of their own home.

I had utopian views about not wanting to work for money most of my life. As I reach mid-life, I realize that viewpoint hasn't helped me. I trained my oldest son to have similar views to mine. I'm concerned that the start he is getting in life (pursuing his dreams) may be a bit unsustainable long term (like me).

Pay 'em. Low motive is better than no motive.

At those younger ages I wouldn't do any kind of rewards program, for each achievement. I would favor praise for a general good grades and going somewhere and doing something special with them.

When a parent starts associating praise with money and gifts it can easily be confused/associated with love/happiness. (It's part of the reason people can't be happy unless they are constantly buying things.) Later on if grades slip and there are no gifts the child can feel less loved. Grades are going to change based on the relationships of the kids, teachers, other kids, parents.... which is a lot by itself for a kid. Grades might not always be great even though the kid is trying hard or wants to do well.

Money for chores is a better option as is using that money to buy gifts for say Mom for her birthday. This helps the kid be happy with what they have.

I worked with an engineer that would buy his kids a used car when they turn 16 IF they got A's in math and science classes. If not the car got pulled.

He felt the other classes were a waste of time and math and science was all that was important. He bought my 1985 200SX from me so I was happy with this decision.

I hate money. I wish it never existed. I don't have kids, but I prepare to teach them to hate money too.

N Sperlo wrote: I hate money. I wish it never existed. I don't have kids, but I prepare to teach them to hate money too.

It doesn't. It is a mutually agreed upon delusion that some arbitrary thing is worth something. Rest easy my friend. Everything you know is a lie.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:

N Sperlo wrote: I hate money. I wish it never existed. I don't have kids, but I prepare to teach them to hate money too.

It doesn't. It is a mutually agreed upon delusion that some arbitrary thing is worth something. Rest easy my friend. Everything you know is a lie.

Ben Bernanke... Is that YOU?!

N Sperlo wrote:

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:

N Sperlo wrote: I hate money. I wish it never existed. I don't have kids, but I prepare to teach them to hate money too.

It doesn't. It is a mutually agreed upon delusion that some arbitrary thing is worth something. Rest easy my friend. Everything you know is a lie.

Ben Bernanke... Is that *YOU*?!

i didn't hear a helicopter in the background as i read it, so probably not.

We've decided to take them out to play glow-golf or something, and dinner to reward them for their efforts. When they get older and actually need money, maybe we'll modify this arrangement. The truth is, my 5 and 8 year olds don't care about money anyway.
Thanks for your input guys and girls.

I don't see the problem. In real life, you get rewarded/punished based on your performance, why not teach them that now?

I was always told if I did bad in school I'd be thrown out of the house......

Never had any rewards per say other than food and a roof over my head. This approach probably wouldn't work today with the "Wipe their arses for them" mentality in full stride.