Have you ever offered a reward to your child to encourage them to attain a goal?

A couple of years ago, my kids wanted new computers. So I made a deal with them: I agreed to buy them new computers when the school year ended — they wanted them for their summer vacation when they could play a certain game — if they achieved an agreed-upon grade point average.

All that semester, they asked me repeatedly as they proudly showed me their tests and papers that their teachers had graded and returned to them, “Mom, if I keep this up, I’m going to get my computer, right?”

“Absolutely,” I would tell them as I posted yet another “A” on the refrigerator.

I remember how their eyes lit up when the UPS truck stopped in front of the house and the driver rang the doorbell with a big smile on his face.

“Did somebody her get good grades?” he asked as he brought in the boxes.

But have you ever bribed your child to lose weight?