MONEY MORAL DILEMMA. Should little sis get a holiday too?

MSE_Jenny · 30 January 2007 at 6:23PM

Here's this week's hypothetical situation for you to cogitate on:

Should little sis get a holiday too?

"When Jessica took her GCSEs her parents promised her cash for a holiday if she scored straight As. Jessica's very bright and sailed through her exams, getting the grades no problem without too much problem.

"Yet now it’s her little sister Ashley’s turn. While Ashley works much harder than Jessica, she’s not as naturally academic and has no chance of turning in top marks. Should her parents reduce the grades she needs to achieve to win the holiday because she's done so much work?"

Martin

Click REPLY to enter the money moral maze (please remember, be polite to other MoneySavers, even if you disagree with them)

Past MMDs:

skylight · 30 January 2007 at 6:30PM

Yes!!!

The extra effort put in balances it out. She needs to be rewarded for that extra effort or will never do it again.

Paul_Herring · 31 January 2007 at 12:53AM

If the parents are going to bribe one offspring to do as well as they can, the least they could do is bribe the other.

The goals for each should be equal to what the offspring could be reasonably expected to do. If this means lower grades as a target, then yes they should reduce the target.

Why parents subscribe to such bribes, however, is beyond me.

peeweeel · 31 January 2007 at 12:54AM

Yes.

The reward should be for sticking at the work not for the results.

toys19 · 31 January 2007 at 7:43AM

Ho Ho, I can imagine them trying to sort this out with each sister, and how smaller sis is going to feel somehow less adequate, even if she does get a holiday out of it. Its the parents punishment for making a daft comittment!

Anwen_2 · 31 January 2007 at 8:02AM

As someone who got good GCSE grades (though not quite straight As) with barely any effort in most subjects (other than the huge effort required to actually turn any coursework in - I have ADD but it was undiagnosed so everyone just thought I was lazy because I never managed to do homework) I think that the younger sister should absolutely be rewarded for actually working hard! It would be completely unfair to reward the older sister for, essentially, being clever with no effort, and not reward the younger one for trying her best. (Especially since it's their genes which are responsible for it!

)

donny-gal · 31 January 2007 at 8:30AM

Totally - and in my opinion the younger sister will go on to do better anyway, as she know how to knuckle down when the chips are hard, the people who find it easy don't know how to climb the walls when they hit them.

Cat_Woman_2 · 31 January 2007 at 9:22AM

It's the study that's important - and if little sis needs more study to receive lower grades she should still get the same reward as her sister.

puddwudd · 31 January 2007 at 9:58AM

Definately she should get a holiday if her sister did. It does not matter what grades she gets. The most important things are that she worked hard to get what she did, and more importantly maybe, her parents are not playing the favourites game. They've both worked hard, so they should both be rewarded.

Jolsa · 31 January 2007 at 10:01AM

Exams are a stressful time, give the girl a holiday!

susanc05 · 31 January 2007 at 10:03AM

The parents' mistake was setting the grade target - our daughter worked extremely hard this year and got straight A* and A grades - so we bought her a white-gold necklace - on the day of the results, but before we knew what they were - for the work she had done. Our son will be doing his GCSEs in two years' time. We have told him that he will receive an equivalent gift if we feel that he has put in as much effort over the two year course as our daughter did. That way, they both know they have done their best and that we appreciate how hard they've worked - but at no time are we comparing the two academically.

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA. Should little sis get a holiday too?

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