Can he buy a television with the money? How does he watch sports?
O.K. here’s a happy alternative, it has a financial angle but it’s more about attention and it sprinkles in some peer pressure. You have to pick the reward based on your own kid and what they and their friends enjoy. Let’s say your kid likes a particular activity (amusement park, paintball, padre game, manicure/pedicure, etc.), you make a deal with them that they can take a friend or two or three (depending on if they have one good friend or two, etc. whatever their posse consists of), if they get straight A’s, you will take and pay for their friends to go to that activity. You let this deal be known throughout the semester to their friends by casually bringing it up at times. Now their friends encourage them because they have a vested interest, they get a chance at being the hero, if they reach their goal they get the praise from their peers, for teenagers it’s as important as your praise. At some point during the activity or day, raise your soda cup and toast your kid with their friends for making the day possible for everyone. You were probably going to do that activity anyway, but now it gets a little meaning.
Maybe it motivates them, maybe it doesn’t. I do know one thing, I love getting a pedicure and as a heterosexual middle aged man there are limited opportunities so I root for her to pull a 4.0 along with her pals. Last night we confirmed online that she nailed it and I made the appointment, woohooo! Spa Takeover!!
