Does Your Child Deserve Payment For Good Grades?

As a parent, you want and expect your children to get good grades.  Some parents choose to reward their children with money when they bring home good grades in an effort to encourage them. 

Other parents believe that their children should know that it is important to get good grades and that recognition for a job well done is a reward in itself.  They believe that paying children to get good grades in school, something that is expected, is sending the wrong message.

This is a gray area for many parents and often an issue of intense debate.  The concept of receiving a payment for outstanding performance at work, in the form of a bonus, is something that many adults strive to attain.  However, others believe that the acknowledgement of having done a good job should be satisfaction enough for children. 

All children are different, of course, and if you need to find a way to motivate your children to do better in school and encouragement just isn’t working, then you may want to try offering cash rewards for high marks. 

The alternative to cash is to promise them something else they want – whether it’s a day at the park, a trip to a theme park, or a new game from the toy shop, offering a non-monetary reward will probably be cheaper for you in the long run, and more satisfying to your child.

No matter which method you choose to use with your children, one thing is certain: you need to stick to that method throughout the child’s school life.  If you start giving money for good grades one semester and offer nothing but a pat on the back the next, the children will be confused and may wind up getting upset or angry at you.  It would be like your boss giving you a huge bonus one year and a smile the following year.  You would be wondering what you did wrong and why you didn’t receive the bonus.

The jury is still out on whether this is helpful or harmful for children, so as a parent you will have to make your own choice – and be prepared to stick with it.