Bribery: Short-term Gain or Long-term Pain?

CINDY LUO
Staff Writer

Who isn’t motivated by certain incentives? Some parents promise their kids rewards such as a delectable meal, longer time on the Internet or a new album for the excellent grades they earned or chores completed without nagging or complaints. Following the famous motto “no pain, no gain,” this educational mode uses a previously determined gain to encourage children to reach their goals through hard work.

Generations of parents have offered rewards to kids. However, the concept of bribery brings up questions as to what happens when kids solely focus on the incentives, ignoring the actual learning process. In other words, rewards are causing children to strive for a prize, and not for their futures.

Not all kids are mature enough to grow without wanting or desiring more to stay motivated. Bribery and making deals with kids provide short-term gains but long-term pain. A bribe stops a negative behavior such as procrastination or leaving work half done, but over time kids may start to rely on the prize and forget the value behind hard work. If this attitude is instilled at a young age, it will most likely stay with the kids throughout their lives, as they go through motions for a paycheck at a job, instead of further improving themselves or working toward things they love.

Motivation should come from within and work should be done for its own rewards, such as the satisfaction and pride of accomplishing things, overcoming obstacles and a deeper understanding of responsibility. An innate drive for high achievement and a thirst for knowledge should be the incentive instead of a material object. Well-deserved praise is a better motivator than any material reward that parents can provide kids with. A resultant sense of competence and mastery from completing challenging tasks should be reward in itself, but compliments can also help motivate kids to continue working hard, especially throughout difficult times.