Do you pay your kids for good grades?

[minnie1928]

We just got our kids report cards, DS(12) made honor roll and DD(7) had several As and Bs, 1 C. Anyway, I was wondering how many pay their kids for good grades? If you do pay, how much do you pay for As, Bs, Honor Roll?

 

[Wilsonfamily4]

My kids aren't old enough to think about that yet, but I did as a highschooler. I know that it did motivate me to try and get my B's up to A's. I see nothing wrong with it but I know someone on here will probably dislike the idea.

 

[DisneyDebbie]

Growing up I got paid for each A and B. I plan on doing it also ($10 & $5) My DH isn't thrilled w/ this and we haven't had to motivate our boys yet (4th and 5th grade) but I think it's coming soon. I tell them that school is their 'job' and have no problem rewarding them for a job well done

 

[Elliesmommy]

I am handling grade rewards the same way that I handle any other good deed.

There will be praise and once in a while an added bonus like a special reward.For example, if my kids are behaved for an entire shopping trip they may get to pick out an item at the end of the trip.

If they ask for something special it will be denied. I just want them to learn that in life you are not always rewarded for doing good but more often than not... you are.

 

[FourBees]

I guess I am in the minority at this point, I do not. We tell our kids that if they work harder when they are younger then they will not have to work so hard when they get older. There are so many merit scholarships to be had when they get good grades and that was also an incentive as they know that we will help as much as we can but we have four children to help. I think it is important for them even at a young age to understand that they do not need to be paid for everything and that a good work ethic whether in school or otherwise is a strong assest to have.

 

[minnie1928]

think it is important for them even at a young age to understand that they do not need to be paid for everything and that a good work ethic whether in school or otherwise is a strong assest to have.

I tend to agree with this to some degree. My kids do not get an allowance just for the sake of getting an allowance. They are expected to keep their room relatively clean, etc. but are not paid for it. But, I do pay them for individual chores (dishwasher, taking the dog out, laundry). I want them to have opportunities to earn money so that they can further learn how to handle their money. With the exception of birthdays/xmas they pay for their own toys and games. I also give them the opportunity to take any birthday/xmas money and deposit it into their college fund, where I match it 100% to help encourage a savings mentality.

I haven't mentioned the idea of paying for good grades to them. I just remembered that when I was a child that my grandparents always paid me for my grades and how exciting that was to me.

 

[momof1princess]

no, no payment for good grades here. DD13 knows getting good grades is her job, and if she wants to stay in the beta club, and get a college scholarship, she MUST maintain As and Bs. she's considered "gifted", and i think sometimes, she simply gets bored and/or lazy. she's more than capable of getting all As, with no more than an average amount of effort. does she get praise for good grades? absolutely, and lots of it!

 

[jakoky]

Hi there, as someone who grew up "getting paid for grades" I dont do it, and i will tell you why...i have 3 kids-teenagers....Both my girls work 100% at school, go above and beyond and get great grades (lol, one gradded last year-so she did get good grades)...Then there is my son....almost no effort, very little work....all the way to grade 9, he was almost straight A's, now he more like B's and C plusses in grade 12...In my case, how could i have paid my son for A in math that he didnt even have to work for, but both my girls worked 100% harder and only came out with a B......I think you can pay over all for a job well done, or pay if you only 1 child, but when you have more than one, some get good grades with no effort, and others work much harder and may only get a C plus...I would almost rather pay for the effort over the grade...anyways, that is my 2 cents....

 

[shortbun]

Yep, we do. I give DS's friends $10 for a good report card too. You'd be suprised how a little money motivates a 15yo boy. None of them have jobs and most of their families don't have extra money. I don't pay allowance to DS. He does home chores, gets good grades and is a great kid so if he needs money, he gets it...within reason.

 

[drcmk]

My kids have always gotten good grades (7th and 9th grader), so I haven't had to think much about it. My answer might be different if I had to come up with ways to motivate them. I don't pay my kids for their grades. I praise them, but not overly so. I've always told them that I value their effort and that I send them to school to learn, not to earn grades. If they work hard and learn, good grades will follow naturally.

That said, we did go through a patch where one of my kids kept forgetting or neglecting to hand in assignments on time (mostly due to disorganization). I did punish poor work habits by refusing to allow her to plan a party that she wanted to have. She wants to have a similar party again and knows that it won't happen if I see that she has missed assignments or turned them in late. We can check that information on line.

 

[DisneyNutMary]

DH and I pay our kids for good grades...well, actually, only for the grades over 90, anything between 80 and 90 there is no money exchange, and for anything under a 70, they pay us!
It might sound odd, but it works for us. When my older son was looking at high schools, he picked an expensive catholic high school, one which we could not afford, my DH decided then that if he saves us money on the tuition, we will pay him for it. So if he got a scholarship, he would get a laptop (he did, and he got the laptop) Then to keep the scholarship each year, his average gad to be over a 90, so we started the pay for grades thing... if he lost the scholarship, the school would cost us alot, so we were very interested in him doing well.
Four years later, he is graduating this June, and has already been awarded 1000's of dollars in college scholarshios, he just needs to choose where to go, and the tuition is paid for him.

Now that my younger son is getting ready for high school, he wants the same school, so he approached us asking for the same deal as his older brother.

 

[KKB]

They have always gotten good grades, & know we expect it.
DS 15 didn't make basketball & spoke of getting a job; we convinced him to mangage the team & we would pay him a nominal "allowance" to cover movies & such. We figure the managing looks better for college apps/financial aid apps plus I was 15 when I began working & I know what I was exposed to by older teens...the longer I can protect him the better. But he does need some cash to spend, so this is a good way.
I would ONLY do it if I was having difficulty with my student & knew they could do better as an incentive. I just think it is a bad precedent to set.
(teacher here)

 

[MSSANDRA]

Nope. WE expect him to do his best whether that would be an A or whatever. He has gotten all most all A's his 13 years and we continue to praise the effort and not just the grade. Sometimes we will go out to eat or something to reward a really hard semester that he did well in. I have a friend that pays her kids like 20.00/A. Her son has more ability than my DS and never does as well

 

[dapookie09]

My wonderful Canadian stepmom introduced our family to a wonderful tradition years ago when my siblings and I were all still in school. In Canada, it's "Marks" instead of "Grades".

So...end of every grading term...we'd celebrate the hard work with "A fruit pizza for your marks!" A simple dessert, made with a cookie crust, a fruit dip sauce and fruit on top...but we all looked forward to it, even home for college breaks, we just HAD to have a fruit pizza for the marks.

It was never even considered that we'd get paid for grades, the pizza was the big deal around our house.

Just a fun thought someone else might enjoy....

 

[gillenkl]

Yes, my DD got $5 total for getting straight A's on her report card. If she goes all month without getting any demerits she gets $5.

 

[4forMe]

No, we do not pay for good grades.

I was paid for good grades during my childhood. I have an excellent memory and easily made straight A's. My brother had to work very hard for his grades yet never made straight A's. Although my brother actually worked harder than me during the school year, I was paid more money.

I have a child with an excellent memory and another with learning disabilities. My son who struggles with spelling has to work very hard just to get a B in the class. The other son breezes by with an A in spelling and never studies.

We are sure to tell our children how proud we are of their hard work during the year.

 

[Allison]

No.

 

[Mom21]

Yes. For every A she gets throughout the week, I reward her with one less slap on her weekly beating. For every week she maintains solid A's I add gruel to her meals of bread and water. For every time she makes honor roll I allow her to take a shower in warm water with real soap and shampoo instead of cold water and lye soap. For every year she makes straight A's I allow her to sleep the summer on cool sheets on a mattress, instead of a pallet on the floor.

Just kidding. We homeschool, but she does take classes once a week at a homeschool place where she takes exams and gets grades. No I don't pay.

 

[hulagirl87]

Yes. For every A she gets throughout the week, I reward her with one less slap on her weekly beating. For every week she maintains solid A's I add gruel to her meals of bread and water. For every time she makes honor roll I allow her to take a shower in warm water with real soap and shampoo instead of cold water and lye soap. For every year she makes straight A's I allow her to sleep the summer on cool sheets on a mattress, instead of a pallet on the floor.

hilarious!!! I read this to DH and we cracked up!

 

[Luv Bunnies]

We don't pay our kids for good grades, but we did take our boys out to dinner last week to celebrate a good trimester. DS15 just started 9th grade at a specialized school for his Asperger's. He got 2 As, 3 Bs and a C+ in P.E. (we forgave that one for several reasons!). DS12 just started 6th grade. We were a little nervous about him starting middle school but our worries were completely unfounded. He got 6 As (3 of which were A pluses) and a B (in math, takes after his mom). We were, of course, very pleased with the accomplishments of both boys. We let them choose a restaurant (within reason) and they ordered sundaes for dessert. We don't believe in paying them since going to school and working hard is their job. But, we do believe in stopping to celebrate success!