<p>^^^At this rate, kat4444 will catch up with cptofthehouse at…24 posts.</p>
<p>I think many posters have MN’s number.</p>
<p>“Remember the first rule of economics - incentives work.”</p>
<p>I didn’t know that was the first rule, but I’m a believer. I always thought, well, what works better, threats or bribes? And decided that bribes were much more effective (fortunate, because we are pretty doting on our kids). Son #2 took the SAT five, count it, five times…not including subject tests, in order to get over a preset score. We promised him a nice gaming computer if he achieved the score and he did. Of course, we didn’t tell him that his computer, required for school, would have been replaced anyways at that time. It helped get him into the school of his choice, and I sincerely doubt he would have done it otherwise. Of course, now that he’s older and more mature, he probably would have done it with the knowledge he has now, but not back then.</p>
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<p>Did he try the ACT also?</p>
<p>One test strategy is to take the SAT and ACT with writing as the first two tests, then use the SAT - ACT concordance chart to see which is higher, since some students to better on one than the other. If desired, repeat the higher one after studying to try to raise it.</p>
<p>No he didn’t. Most of the kids around here just take the SAT, as the schools they were looking at weren’t that keen on the ACT. He wasn’t interested in taking the ACT, though I had heard that some kids do far better on the ACT. I figured hey, if he was willing to keep hammering away at the SAT, improving his score 50-100 points each time, I wasn’t going to argue.</p>
<p>Am I missing something here? Should I be offering saucers of milk? I prefer wine actually without the “h”.</p>
<p>Yes, the ACT and SAT are very different tests, and many students will do better on one than the other. Most colleges will accept either, and base their decision upon whichever score is higher.</p>
<p>Bribes…oops I mean incentives…did not work in this house. One of our kids got an unexpected very good scholarship to a school. We told the kid that with the savings from paying the college, we would buy a car and likely a condo for residence after freshman year. Kid declined the bribe…oops, I mean incentive.</p>
<p>The best incentive we saw for KIDS saving money was having the kid earn the money. This was one reason we didnt provide money for discretionary spending. Our kids were very careful about the money THEY earned!</p>
<p>I did use incentives to get my kids to practice for the SAT and ACT when they were juniors in HS. If they did a practice test on a Saturday morning, then I’d give son and a friend tickets to the movies and popcorn/coke money. Each son followed the same pattern. They took me up on the offer a couple of times, but when they saw the improvement in their scores, they started practicing on their own without asking for any bonus.</p>
<p>If I had had girls, I might have offered a mani/pedi or something along those lines…whatever the kid’s currency is.</p>
<p>Our family would never pay 60K for college. We are upper middle class and would never consider paying much more than the cost of our local flagship university. I guess I am truely ignorant because I really do not see a huge difference between the top 20 universities and our state flagship that is ranked only 58 to warrant the extra costs. </p>
<p>Man senior year was a bear getting oldest dd to do her applications and she only applied to 4 colleges and an academy. We dangled the drivers license carrot for a long time. </p>
<p>In the furture, I think I am going to take another route with my younger kids. They are going to do the work or pay the price. I am tired of hovering to get them to do what is right.</p>
<p>Agreed, thumper: earning their own money is key. </p>
<p>We didn’t view DS’s old Volvo as a bribe, but rather as a ‘contract’ and an opportunity to learn about budgeting within constraints. DS is already motivated–he ‘drives’ himself, metaphorically speaking. It was a situation where we felt DS needed to show an established level of responsibility, first. The car is a privilege, not a right. While a car is practical for his weekend work, it’s not absolutely neccesary, at this point, as he is a freshman. (This is in SoCal–very little public transportation and his bike can’t get him everywhere he needs to go). We wanted him to show in first semester that he was ready for the car in second semester…car on campus is a big step. </p>
<p>To me this is not at all the same as a bribe. We didn’t buy him a car for grades. We told him he had to show he was responsible enough to take the old heap (304,000 miles on it–not a ‘bribing’ vehicle, LOL) and that he had thought it through with a budget that showed he could pay the associated costs (permit and gas). We have been very clear about all expectations in college. For example, he also knows that if he parties, misses classes, and doesn’t take college seriously–the plug will be pulled and he comes home to earn his own way, pay rent, go to CC or whatever. DS doesn’t drink, so this isn’t too tough a requirement, but you never know what’s going to happen when they move away to school. We just wanted it all to be crystal clear. Anyway, this thread is about financial issues so this is a bit of a sidebar. But I do think it is relevant to financial responsibility and the various ways we try to model/teach these life skills to our kids.</p>
<p>So, this was definitely a motivating ‘contingency,’ and likely an incentive, but it wasn’t a bribe.
We’ve never promised ‘gifts’ or prizes for performance. At least not that I can recall…both our kids tended to be too hard on themselves, if anything; I do recall encouraging them to lighten up a few times. :)</p>
<p>@Gladiatorbird - " Last week DS came home to pick up his car. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him more proud. The car is not a Beemer, by the way. It’s the same Volvo we brought him home from the hospital in as a newborn. It now has 304,000 miles on it, but runs dependably."</p>
<p>I just love that he’s driving that car!</p>
<p>I am completely shameless. I would bribe my son if I could figure out what the right incentive would be.</p>
<p>@Harvest: They do make quite a picture. It’s a creaky old faded black box. He tells me it’s the “coolest car on campus and no one has anything like it.” I’ll bet, LOL! </p>
<p>DS’s plan is to take it to 500,000 miles (and rebuild engine, if needed). These cars are known to reach the 1/2 million milestone, if given the chance.</p>
<p>We bribed D1 with a car for good behavior. We told her in 9th grade that if she didn’t party (drink and do drugs) and maintain good grades in school, we would get her a car when she turned 17. There were many parties at her high school that she turned down in order to stay out of trouble (she knew which ones were going to be wild). She continued to behave responsibly while she had the car, and we ultimately did allow her to take it up to school. She loved her car. She cried when we turned it in after 5 years.</p>
<p>Bribe is such a harsh word :D. We gave the kids “options”. You have X dollars from us for college. You have the option of using those funds for your school costs or if you cover those costs, those dollars can be used for a car…:D.</p>
<p>I am completely shameless. I would bribe my son if I could figure out what the right incentive would be.</p>
<p>As Dr. Phil is fond of saying, “What’s his currency?” What motivates him? What works for one child, often won’t work for another. Does he want some help buying a car? Does he want pricier athletic shoes? Does he want a flat screen TV in his room? Would he want tickets to a pro sporting event?</p>
<p>I’m an unashamed briber. I bribe. I incentivize. I bribe with shoes, expensive clothing, bags, etc… I also bribe with cash.</p>
<p>I am unapologetically bribing my children for performance.</p>
<p>carry on.</p>
<p>M2CK, I’m not sure what his currency is, but I have a list of things I’m currently trying out. Such as golf lessons.</p>
<p>I don’t care what it costs me to incentivize him to take the homework out of the backpack because it’s all worth it in saving me anxiety.</p>
<p>To paraphrase…We’ve already established “what” I am, We are merely haggling over price. 
My employer bribes me all the time, and likes to tell me that I get a bonus every two weeks. Maybe I call it a reward with my kids…</p>