I saw a great cartoon by Mike Smith in Newsweek magazine the other day. The caption read              “AIG EXECUTIVE: THE EARLY YEARS” . The cartoon above depicted a young boy in his very messy bedroom. The floor was littered with clothes, sports equipment, books, and empty food containers. Dresser drawers were hanging open, the bed was unmade, the lamp tipped over on the table. His mom was standing there staring at her son with her arms folded. The boy says to his mom, “I cleaned my room. May I have my allowance now?”

What do you think the odds are that mom will fork over the allowance? My guess is pretty good. She will justify this any number of ways. She may take some of the blame by telling herself she wasn’t clear about the about her definition of “clean”.  She may point out the things that still need work, to help him do a better job next time. And she will probably applaud his ATTEMPT to clean his room, giving him lots of credit for trying. Then she will give little Johnny his allowance.

 For trying. And for doing a half-assed job. And because she is afraid to say no and uphold higher standards or hold him accountable.

Why would he work harder or try to do a better job next time? He just got the message that what he did was good enough. He got his allowance anyway. He likely had to be threatened or bribed into cleaning his room in the first place, did a lousy job, probably complained the entire time, then had the audacity to ask for payment, not when the job was finished but when he was tired of doing it.

So parents. When you’re burning mad about your tax dollars funding bonuses for people who not only can’t keep their own room clean, they’re making a mess of yours too, ask yourself honestly. What are you teaching your own kids about being responsible, setting high standards, and earning their pay by doing a good job?

Popularity: 75%