With the new school year upon us, some kids are trying to find the motivation from within, while others may be aiming for the cash or video game promised by Mom and Dad.
In a Wall Street Journal column, a mom concedes to bribing her four daughters with outings and objects of desire, though not cash, for all A’s or “relative improvement.”
“I admit: It would be best if all children (and adults) could be motivated by an innate drive for high achievement and a thirst for knowledge,” writes Demetria Gallegos, community editor for WSJ.com.
“But I also believe that it’s easier to accomplish good grades after experiencing them,” she wrote. “Fake it until you make it. The excitement and adrenaline of success are addictive, and if you get to experience it, whatever the motivation, you’re inclined to seek it again.”
But her husband, John, calls the arrangement a “bad bargain,” and says, “They must value education. Giving them bribes is corrupting that value.”
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