Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Bribing kids for good behavior - is bad for behavior

Parents buying off kids for good behavior

Experts caution against bribery,
urge rewards that make sense

The old axiom in education is that it's not bribery if the action preceeds the reward. But does it breed - the dreaded - sense of entitlement in children?
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“It’s definitely more our generation,” Kirsten Whipple, a 35-year-old mom in Northbrook, Ill., says with a quiet laugh. “I’m sure our parents would be appalled if they knew how much we bribe our children.”

She can see why they might be — but she and her husband try not to overuse rewards and have found they work best for smaller things. For instance, they might offer their boys, ages 5 and 8, a special dessert or a chance to rent a video game if they listen to their baby sitter. A good report card might earn a dinner out to celebrate.

Whipple has noticed a downside though — what she calls a “sense of entitlement.”

This from MSNBC.

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