My oldest child and favorite son! or so he likes to call himself (my only son, ) went back to school today after over a month of exam leave. The school seems to have prepared them well and he's a bit of a bright spark so we had none of the stressed filled days and late night panics which were common in my teenage years. Now its all over we are getting the inevitable queries about what his reward will be for academic success? Everyone else, I am informed, gets one ...... with amounts ranging from £10 to £100 or an expensive piece of electronic equipment. He had various suggestions for me to consider.
It's a dilemma, I want all my children to take responsibility for their own success and have pride in what they have achieved. I explain they are doing it for themselves not me. I am just so darn proud of him and he is proud of himself ...... yeh yeh yeh, whatever, is the reply i get and it still doesn't stop him from chancing his arm.
I tell him there is no money in my purse and that there is also the question of fairness to consider. They watch each other like hawks with an acute sense of fairness, possessed only by siblings. Everyone needs to be treated the same, given the same rewards, punishments and praise. The perfect mother needs to be a statistical genius with the memory of an elephant! I am neither a statistical genius or an elephant and so need to keep clear of rewards, because you can bet your life someone is taking notes.
Ever the chancer, his next move was to tell me his girlfriend had a reward. Knowing the mother I expressed disbelief and questioned further ... he confessed that it was a Mars bar! Ok, thats fine, we settled on a snickers bar.
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