Entry FeedLast night the boys brought home their report cards from school.
The first thing Son One said to me as he handed me the sealed envelope was, "If I get 5 or more As, can I get some Gogos?" (Note: To those parents who are not familiar with Gogos - they are another stupid collection toy that kids can't seem to get enough of right now... be happy if you haven't been asked for some yet.)
My answer? "No, Honey. I will be thrilled if you get 5 As, but we don't buy you stuff for doing well in school. Doing well is its own reward."
"But ________ (name deleted to protect his parents) will get more Gogos if he gets 5 As."
Why do parents do this? I've heard of paying kids for grades, all the way through high school! $10 per A, $5 per B. Really do you take money away for poor performance? Gee - you got three Cs - that's $15 please! I've even heard of some hockey parents paying their kids for goals. Are you kidding me?
We encourage our kids to try their best all of the time because it is the right thing to do. Plus, success is its own reward, isn't it? The problem is explaining to kids why we, as parents, make certain decisions. We will not pay your for grades, but I am very proud of you so let's go out to dinner as a family to celebrate. Hypocritical? Or just me getting out of an evening of cooking?
(Honestly, with three smart kids, paying for As could be pretty expensive down the road... I would rather save more for their universities!)
Son One seemed OK with my answer, and quickly moved on. I just know that it will come up again sometime soon. Like in March, when Term Two is done.