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I do not believe rewarding your child for good grades with cash is a correct method to encourage learning. A child needs to put forth the effort of learning without cash rewards. Bribery is not an answer to getting your child to pay attention in class.

If you have to resort to bribing your child to do well in school then something is wrong. You should instill values in your child that accomplishment is its own reward. If you teach your child that by doing well they can earn money then how will they react when times are tough.

This method of getting your child to learn encourages them to believe that you do not do something for nothing. You should encourage your child to learn to educate and better themselves, not their cash flow. This is very irresponsible parenting. So if you reward your child with cash for getting good grades then what form of punishment do you use when their grades start to fail.

Does a first grader deserve cash for their accomplishments? No. They can be rewarded for their accomplishments by praise or a special treat. But you should never get your child's hopes up for cash if they advance in school. Plus, how will you know the appropriate limits to set for certain grades. Should all your children be rewarded equally regardless of grade level and age? These are questions you should ask yourself before setting this high standard.

You are actually doing more damage than good. Paying your child for good grades can encourage cheating and deceitful ways of getting great grades. Your child could develop emotional problems as pertaining to your expectations of their grades.

Since when is praise for good grades never enough for our children? We should encourage our children to take pride in their school work as it gets harder with every year. But will your cash bribes get bigger or smaller as the years go by or as the work gets harder?

You should never resort to any type of bribery when dealing with children. Children tend to do better with school work when they are praised and their work is displayed within their homes to show that they have been acknowledged. So encourage your child to study hard and advance in school without the expectation of cash. If you must pay your child to learn then you have somewhat failed as an educator and a mentor for your child. Examine your motives and the effects they will have on your children before you start bribing them. This will have an impact on the rest of their lives.

Learn more about this author, A.L. Lovern.
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