Two parents are getting schooled by their son after learning the consequences of bribery as a means of motivation for exams.

They told Moncrieff they promised their 15-year-old son an e-scooter if he did well in his Junior Certificate exams. 

“We felt confident that we wouldn’t get great results but now he’s coming home from exams saying that it went brilliantly,” they said. 

“We're getting worried that we'll have to pay out – not just from a financial perspective but from a safety perspective. 

“Is there a way we can renege on the deal without destroying trust?” 

Child psychotherapist started off by saying this whole question is a “cautionary tale”. 

“If you really believed he wouldn’t get the results for the scooter, you were setting him up to fail and that’s not okay,” she said. 

“I get a lot of questions about this – should I pay for my child’s results?

“First of all, when you say, ‘If he does well’, how do you define that? 

“Did you sit down and say what it looks like - are you on the same page?

“And now that you’ve put an e-scooter on the table for Junior Cert, you have to be ready for what you're going to have to offer in the Leaving Cert.” 

Exams bribery

Joanna said this problem is “100% on the parents” and they need to own it fully. 

“I hope your son does well,” she said. “He’s managed to organise himself... he’s clearly one of those people motivated by extrinsic reward.” 

Joanna said, however, that the parents have one way of getting out of the problem – with a white lie. 

“You can reframe it,” she said. “As of the last few weeks, there are road traffic regulations applying to e-scooter use. 

“One of them is a minimum age of 16 to own one – this might be what gets you off the hook for now. 

“He might be [old enough] by the time the results come out, but you could tell him you offered him something he’s not old enough for so that’s off the table.” 

The parents could also be more upfront and direct with their son if they want. 

“You have to go and say Mea Culpa, you got this horribly wrong,” she said. 

“Reach a middle ground to say what you're going to do instead to celebrate all his hard work.” 

In the UK, 26% of all e-scooter users are between the ages of 16 and 24, though the largest group is aged between 25 and 34. 

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