Question to the expert: “My girlfriend gets paid for good grades”

Anna Skavitina, children’s analyst:

“Tina, every family has its own rules that parents come up with and set. Children rarely change them. Sometimes we think that friends and neighbors have something better in the family. This seems unfair to us. But the moment we think about it, we forget what advantages we have. You say that your mother gives you pocket money for a week just because you are a member of the family and are already entitled to a small part of the family budget. You don’t have to do anything for it: neither help around the house, nor walk the dog. And your girlfriend needs to earn her 300 rubles. It looks like you have a better learning ability than your girlfriend. And you have to put in less effort to get good grades than she does. Do you think it’s your merit? I don’t think so. This is the advantage that nature and mother gave you by giving birth to you. Why should mom pay you for this? Do you think it’s fair? Your school knowledge is an opportunity to get a better education in the future, to be able to choose the profession that suits you, to receive a higher salary. Who do you think is more important: you or your mother? Of course, mom will be pleased if her daughter enjoys work, but it’s more important for you. So, school grades are your own business. Your friend’s mom wants to get her daughter interested in studying with money. It doesn’t seem to work very well, does it? A friend receives mostly money for helping around the house, not for studying. If you want to earn money, you can offer mom to do something that no one in the family likes to do, maybe even mom. You will free your mother from this work. What it could be, I don’t know. In each family, the “unloved” work is different, but it still needs to be done. Discuss this with your mom. This can make life easier for your mother, and it will give you the opportunity to feel your strength and get your first “salary”.