I love TED talks. They’re short {20 minutes or less}, they offer information from experts, and many are entertaining too. To know TED talks is to love them!
Here’s one that I found enlightening as a parent — Daniel Pink’s talk on The Puzzle of Motivation. This is not a “parenting” talk by any means, but it offers a quantifiable perspective regarding one parenting dilemma: how to motivate the kids? Is an incentive {yes, some might say a “bribe”} a good idea for things like extra chores, honor roll, or desired behavior? Although Mr. BOP and I don’t do a lot of carrot-and-stick parenting, now and then we do resort to such things to get a desired result. Desperate times call for desperate measures, right? But does it work?
Pink’s talk, though rooted in the business in science worlds, helped me hone in on which incentives might work — and which might backfire or make the situation worse! And, it also reminded what I already knew but benefitted from hearing again; that the most powerful motivation comes from within rather than from parental directives. Idealistic, sure, but when that self-determination clicks for a kid it’s awesome! Here’s what Pink has to say:
I’m not opposed to strategically incentivizing the kids occasionally. I confess — I recently offered my son two dollars if he could find my phone charger within the next two minutes. He performed quite well on the task and my problem was solved pronto. Desperate Mom + Simple Task = Reward.
But I don’t plan to do that kind of thing often, and especially not for more complex tasks. I’m now feeling more likely to skip that reward and take the longer term view. Thanks to TED.
Interested in seeing more TED talks? Check out:
Playlist: A TED Intern Picks Her Favorite Talks for Back to School
What TED Talk Would You Play for Opening the School Year?
Related posts:
- One of Our Best Finds for On-the-Go Kids {or anyone}
- How To: Parental Safeguards for an iPad or iPod Touch
- So Big, and Back to School
