40+ Goosebumps books and 75+ pages of math word problems =’s a Star Wars Lego for my son. Good old bribery in action…
I will admit that I am guilty of bribery as a parenting technique… Yet, I really do hate using bribes for anything, except summer learning. Truthfully, I am confused at what is bribing and what is rewarding. What’s an allowance?
Most parenting gurus will tell you that bribery of our kiddos is a no, no! Web MD, warns about bribing for good behavior here. Now, while I try my best not to bribe the kids to be well behaved since I expect that and they will be punished if they do not behave. I also make sure I never use food as a bribe. On the other hand, I shell out cash to get my son to read tons and do math word problems over the summer months. He already loves to read and do math… I just anty up my expectations that he read at least an hour a day (he chooses to read over that most days) and do a page of math word problems. If he chooses to do these things, he gets to spend thirty bucks at the end of the summer at a toy store. I am on year two of this method and it works for me and my son. It’s something he looks forward to over the summer. I know he already loves books so why not push him a little harder with a bribe? Or is it just a way to cultivate materialism and greed in him like many articles tell me? Hmmm…
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Thanks Cindy! Good to know a positive side.
Just thought I would share this with you…Several years ago, I saw a CEO of a major company speak. I told of how he paid his kids to read. I think it was $1 a chapter. He equated it to paying a child to take out the trash and you’re training him to be a garbage man. If you pay them to read then you are training them to be a reader and emphasizing the importance of reading. Seemed to work for him. 🙂