Here's the setup: We had a roach problem on our back deck. Too much cat food left out too many nights had led up to a bit of a problem with the nasty little beasties. I had been wondering what to do about them, hoping there might be a more safe & friendly solution than the traditional poison route. So, without thinking much of it, I told the kids that I would offer a reward for whoever came up with a roach trap. The reward was simple: Leave the trap out overnight, and you get $1 for every roach trapped by morning. I didn't know what they would come up with, but I was thinking, oh, maybe one or two roaches, if they are lucky.
DD/10 came to me the next morning, quite excited at her accomplishment. What she did was quite simple: Just set out an empty peanut butter container with cat food in it, and leave the lid just cracked across the top. It worked. Boy, did it work. When she had finally killed (gassed) and counted her quarry, the total was...66.
That little girl just cost me $66!
(sigh)
So, take it from me folks: never, ever bet your child with money, even if it's for a noble cause, like achieving some goal or raising their grades. They will bilk you out of your last penny, without the least bit of guilt. After all, they have no loftier pursuit of their time.
Technical note: For those curious as to how it worked, I have to assume that they could easily climb up the side of the glass with the label, but once inside, the combination of smooth glass and the curve of the upper lip made it too difficult to get out. On the other hand, DD/10 believes they were just too happy with that catfood to even bother trying to leave.
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