Time
In junior high school, one of my classmates had a TV addiction — back before it was normal. This boy — we'll call him Ethan — was an encyclopedia of vacuous content, from The A-Team to Who's the Boss?
Then one day Ethan's mother made him a bold offer. If he could go a full month without watching any TV, she would give him $200. None of us thought he could do it. But Ethan quit TV, just like that. His friends offered to let him cheat at their houses on Friday nights (Miami Vice nights!). Ethan said no.
One month later, Ethan's mom paid him $200. He went out and bought a TV, the biggest one he could find.
In junior high school, one of my classmates had a TV addiction — back before it was normal. This boy — we'll call him Ethan — was an encyclopedia of vacuous content, from The A-Team to Who's the Boss?
Then one day Ethan's mother made him a bold offer. If he could go a full month without watching any TV, she would give him $200. None of us thought he could do it. But Ethan quit TV, just like that. His friends offered to let him cheat at their houses on Friday nights (Miami Vice nights!). Ethan said no.
One month later, Ethan's mom paid him $200. He went out and bought a TV, the biggest one he could find.
It's funny, I was just discussing with someone over yontiff, the idea of bribing kids to get good grades. At my stepmother's wake (sorry, but, I AM a gyoress)... my aunt said she was going to bribe her niece, my estranged cousin, to get good grades. I mentioned that I had recently read an article in Psychology Today, which happens to be one of my favorite magazines, about how studies show that success in high school doesn't have the impact we think it does. Really success is better predicted by the support systems in place during the young adult years. Well, a screaming match ensued... but it's quite an interesting topic, what do you think?
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