Yesterday Alycia came home from school grinning away. Half way through lunch, she went to her school bag and dug out something and happily told me that her friend gave her an Angry Bird plastic zip-type pencil case. This girl of mine has been absolutely crazy over Angry Birds lately. She sleeps with her Angry Bird cushion and has Angry Bird pencils, erasers and pencil case. She plays Angry Bird on the iPad2 when she has completed her homework. She draws Angry Birds everyday during her free time. Oh coming back to the Angry Bird pencil that her friend gave her. I wasn’t too happy that her friend had given her things again. This girl always comes home telling me that her friends had given her this and that (stationery items all the time) to reward her for helping them do their homework!
After much probing, Alycia finally told me the truth why her friend (a boy) gave her the pencil case. Her friend had asked her to help him complete his homework. This girl always helps her classmates with their homework and then receive benefits in kind! While I am rather happy that this girl has an entrepreneurial mind, just like her mummy (I made my first few Ringgit when I was in Standard 2, by making bookmarks and sold them to my classmates), I am not too happy that she is doing this in class. What if her classmates’ mummies come after me and question why my daughter is ‘extorting’ their child!! I told Alycia to return the Angry Bird pencil case to her friend. I doubt she will do it but I will follow through today. I just bought her an Angry Birds pencil case on Friday last week.
Would you allow your child to receive benefit like this from his/her classmates?
No. of times viewed = 270
Depend on what benefit that they received. If it is an eraser or pencil, I don’t really mind. If it is more valueble than this, I will force them to return immediately. April brought home a watch that her classmate gave her. The watch is still working fine, only has no strap. I also reprimanded her to return to her friend.
ahhh..she’s as smart and as business-savvy as her mommy 🙂 er..I don’t think I would allow mine to receive benefits like these 🙂
No, I will usually ask my kids to return them immediately.
Depending in cases. A mild reward/gift still acceptable. But if too frequent and pricier thing would let them become more materialistic mind.
This is a tough one…
I had to stop my son’s little business…. for awhile, he was acting as an ‘agent’ – purchasing flowers on behalf of a friend to give to a girl. He makes about USD 11 each time. Though I thought it was ingenius of him to earn money by offering a needed ‘service’, I had to stop it in case the school does not approve.
He was also paid about USD 1 for helping with homework. THat I had to stop too… in case the school says he is ‘extorting’.
Seriously, if it is not because I want to avoid ‘trouble’ with the school… I would let it be. It is after-all a very useful skill.