Rewarding your kids

The discussion about what is an adequate reward has probably been on since humans first were able to speak: if the reward is too high, it might set a precedent for future occasions, where also a high reward will be expected; if it is too low, it might be taken as an insult and will certainly discourage future cooperation. But today I think I manage to figure out just the perfect one.

I forgot to mention it yesterday, but I decided to take this week and the next off. I still have left-over vacation days from 2019 which I should use before the end of the year and, with the dark prospects of the COVID-19 I do not think that we will be able to travel any time soon, so I discussed it with Karen and decide to take two weeks.

Photo: pxfuel

The good thing of being on vacation is that you have so much time in your day that you can do all the things you want to do and still have some time to help. I spent the morning working on my online course and then, seeing that Karen was very concentrated working in her office, I cooked lunch for all, which was much appreciated. After coffee, Karen remembered that Jason needed some new clothes, because he has been growing (as usual at age 16) but he did not get anything new pretty much in the last six months, so she suggested that I take him downtown for shopping "just the guys". The weather is slowly turning colder, but it was still comfortable with a thin jacket and it was not raining, so we decided to walk (Jason is still mildly hooked on Pokemon Go) and chat a bit.

I know well enough that shopping for clothes can be excruciating with all the trying on and taking off of clothes, but he weathered it like a champ. We got everything that we intended to buy and then he asked if we could pop into the video game store for a second, because he was looking for a second hand copy of a relatively old game, and I thought it might be a nice close-up to our afternoon together. Unfortunately, the game was not available, so we headed back home not sad, but slightly disappointed. Luckily, I had an idea that raised our spirits quite fast.

Over the last year or so we have seen more and more electric scooters popping out on the streets. A few weeks ago, when Karen and I went for a stroll in our neighborhood we discussed the possibility of giving them a try, but it was cold, a bit wet and it was getting dark, so decided to postpone it and, in the end, never got to pursue the idea. Today, Jason and I ran into two scooters parked together in a corner, so I suggested to take them for a spin. In the beginning he was a bit incredulous, as if it were a totally crazy idea, but I knew he is quite competent with the normal scooter and ha has been in traffic with the bicycle, so I was quite sure that everything would work out fine.

It took us some minutes before we managed to install the app, got credit charged and learnt to use the scooter, but we were on our way soon enough and it was quite fun. They really pack some punch these scooters! If you are not careful and press the throttle too hard you can totally be kicked back. Jason was not 100% confident that he knew the way the bicycle path lead back to our place, so I lead the way, but I had to keep an eye on him in case he had trouble with the scooter or any other inconvenience. In the end it was quite interesting and the best part of it is that we can now do this much more easily the next time.

And we had a very nice memory to seal the afternoon together. Enjoy the evening!