4 ms·

My 8 year old is in debt.

5 points by lwhsiao 7y ago

trentlott 7y ago
The use of financial incentives often displace a genuine interest and motivation to do such things. Be wary of applying it too broadly, I think.
- Scaevolus 7y ago
  I'd be extremely careful with attaching monetary values to every behavior you want to encourage, since that can squash intrinsic motivation through the overjustification effect. You should brush your teeth because it's a healthy and comforting part of your routine, not because you've decided $0.50 for 3 minutes of work is worth it.
EliRivers 7y ago
Hard to tell if this is a special one time "get into debt and earn money to get out of it" experiment, but if this becomes a permanent feature; in a few years time, when other people's teenage children will be mowing the lawn just because it's part of their life and the give and take of living with family, I wonder if these children will be telling their parents they don't need the money, thanks. Tidy my room? No thanks, I took a job at McDonalds so I don't need to earn money at home. Wash the car? Still got enough money to last until the weekend, thanks. Go to visit Grandma? That's going to cost you. I wonder if, beyond that and into the rest of their lives, such children would have learned to associate doing anything for their parents as only being done for financial reward. If someone was doing this as an experiment to see what kind of familial relationships exist when a child has been brought up this way, I'd think they were in serious need of a visit from the ethics committee.
- taylodl 7y ago
  Yep. This is well-researched. Some things simply have to be done - like unloading the dishwasher and brushing your teeth. Having raised kids myself I've seen this play out first-hand with several friends and acquaintances. It always ends poorly from the standpoint that they get jobs as soon as they're able and tell their parents to get bent on doing their chores. They never learned some things just have to be done. The kids I've known raised this way are also struggling with relationships - everything in their life becomes a transaction. What can you do for me? They're quite miserable people actually.
  - brador 7y ago
    Transactional obsession does create high performance capitalist units though. Bill Gates, Jobs, and Zuck were all offered financial rewards for high grades by their parents.
deleted 7y ago
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5 points by lwhsiao 7y ago

The use of financial incentives often displace a genuine interest and motivation to do such things. Be wary of applying it too broadly, I think.

Scaevolus 7y ago
I'd be extremely careful with attaching monetary values to every behavior you want to encourage, since that can squash intrinsic motivation through the overjustification effect. You should brush your teeth because it's a healthy and comforting part of your routine, not because you've decided $0.50 for 3 minutes of work is worth it.

EliRivers 7y ago

Hard to tell if this is a special one time "get into debt and earn money to get out of it" experiment, but if this becomes a permanent feature; in a few years time, when other people's teenage children will be mowing the lawn just because it's part of their life and the give and take of living with family, I wonder if these children will be telling their parents they don't need the money, thanks. Tidy my room? No thanks, I took a job at McDonalds so I don't need to earn money at home. Wash the car? Still got enough money to last until the weekend, thanks. Go to visit Grandma? That's going to cost you. I wonder if, beyond that and into the rest of their lives, such children would have learned to associate doing anything for their parents as only being done for financial reward. If someone was doing this as an experiment to see what kind of familial relationships exist when a child has been brought up this way, I'd think they were in serious need of a visit from the ethics committee.

taylodl 7y ago
Yep. This is well-researched. Some things simply have to be done - like unloading the dishwasher and brushing your teeth. Having raised kids myself I've seen this play out first-hand with several friends and acquaintances. It always ends poorly from the standpoint that they get jobs as soon as they're able and tell their parents to get bent on doing their chores. They never learned some things just have to be done. The kids I've known raised this way are also struggling with relationships - everything in their life becomes a transaction. What can you do for me? They're quite miserable people actually.
- brador 7y ago
  Transactional obsession does create high performance capitalist units though. Bill Gates, Jobs, and Zuck were all offered financial rewards for high grades by their parents.

deleted 7y ago

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