College Incentives

If you are planning on paying for your kid’s college, it may be hard to get them motivated to 

do the work it takes to get scholarships. 

My husband and I made a deal to give our kids back a percentage of whatever they saved 

us, but only after they maintained their scholarships through graduation.  Depending on 

their scholarships, you can save many thousands of dollars, and your child could have a 

nice chunk of money to go towards a car or a down payment on a house after they graduate.  

Win – Win!

Here’s another idea: A friend of ours told his daughter that he would pay her school loans 

as long as she stayed in school.  If his daughter dropped out, the loan (which was in her 

name) would be her responsibility.  Isn’t that clever?

Interrupting Kids

I used to get so annoyed when I would hear, “Mom, Mom, Mom, Mommy, Mom…”, or to feel 

constant tapping and pulling on your arm.  Like most kids, ours had such a hard time not 

interrupting when I was in the middle of a conversation with someone. 

I decided to coach them to gently put their hand on my arm to let me know they wanted to 

talk to me.  I would then put my hand on their hand to let them know that I understood their 

need, and would excuse myself from my conversation as soon as I could to see what they 

needed.  It worked!  Be sure to get to them in a timely manner so that they know you will 

hold up your end of the bargain.