Why I Don’t Feel Guilty About Bribing My Daughter To Read

Ok, so I’ve been an avid reader all of my life. I started early, probably because I was always sick when I was young. My oldest daughter Ally, she picked up the reading bug early on, and sits and enjoys a good read as well.

Then there is her sister, my youngest, Cassie, who up until recently treated reading like kryptonite. Like myself, she always had a hard time with writing, and in some respects, this kept her from wanting to read as well. 

In 6th grade, the kids are required to read Rick Riordan’s The Lightning Thief, the first in a series of books for a young hero named Percy Jackson. The first book itself is 384 pages and a heavy read for a non-interested middle schooler.

As a father who knows the intelligence within his child was only looking to find an outlet, I tapped into her own primal need, to earn money for a vacation this year! The interest earned though (both literal and figurative) was an even larger prize. 

The interest earned though (both literal and figurative) was an even larger prize. 

Now she had seen the Percy Jackson movie a few years ago but had mostly forgotten it, which I was very happy with since I didn’t want the film to be her source material. My goal was to light a spark in her, at a time in her life that might catch like a brush fire during a dry spell. At just the right place and time I was leading her to create some magic.  

And I did… 

I set a goal in front of her, with milestones. First of all the book she had to read for school, initially she wouldn’t get credit for, but here is how I broke it down:

1st Book – Nothing! (It’s your school work!)

2nd through the 5th Book – $4 each, with a $4 bonus for reading all 5. She would make $20. 

I then told her, if she continued and read the second series, yup another five books, she would get an additional $20 for all five (of course she would still earn $4 per each book if she decided not to finish the second series).

She dragged herself through the first book (remember no real reward here), but when she picked up the second book, something strange happened. This girl who previously would prefer to watch TV or play on her iPod suddenly was found with a book in her hand.

Everywhere she went she was reading, and it continued with the 3rd book, which she bought on her Kindle. Please understand the depth of that last statement:

The girl who didn’t enjoy reading bought a book with her own money, on her electronic device. 

The girl who didn’t enjoy reading bought a book with her own money, on her electronic device. 

She finished the first series, all 1,840 pages of it. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if she was really going to go for the second set of books. She had been bitten, by the knowledge of imagination and storytelling, well beyond the comfort zones of the Disney Channel or another game of Minecraft.

I built on the foundation I laid, encouraging her efforts. I asked about the characters, and my daughter, who would have two months earlier rolled her eyes at the thought of knowing a literary character so well, knew these intimately. 

She almost has the prize in her hand (and as you can tell by the picture she knows she is close). By the end of this, she will have read almost 4,700 pages. Did I mention that she also did this within three months? Yes, she applied a desire to win this “prize” and attacked it with a purpose. 

At one point, and this is where I am proudest of my blatant bribe, she told me that I didn’t have to pay her. She was enjoying the books and the journey that it took her on.

Of course I will be giving this child of mine every penny she earned, including a bonus of another new book that Mr. Riordan has written, which is another series.

Was I wrong for bribing my daughter to read? Probably. Is she carrying this lesson beyond what I showed her and let reading become a joy in her life? Absolutely.

Leadership comes in all shapes and sizes, the best examples come when you know you are imparting that wisdom on others.

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