A front-page article in USA Today got my attention recently with the headline: "Sweet Tooth Fairy survey: $3 goes under the pillow." I thought, "Wow, whatever happened to a quarter or sometimes hearing about 50 cents received by another kid who had conned his parents better than I did?"
To this was added another journalistic gem: "The tooth fairy is not to be taken lightly, child psychologists warn: Excessive monetary rewards can distort a child's perception of money." Really?
"Unfortunately, teachers say, tooth inflation is all too common in elementary schools--nobody wants to be the parent whose child is the talk at recess because of a frugal Tooth Fairy." Really?
It got better. "Visa today is launching an app for the iPhone and iPad and a calculator on its Facebook page using survey's data to determine the average payoff a child can expect based on a parent's gender, education, location, age and income." Really?
"It also shows how much the recommended dollar amount was worth when the parent was 8." Really?
Finally: "'The app would be a driver of tooth inflation, not a tracker. I would predict a psychological bidding game,' said Charles Green, CEO of Trusted Advisor Associates, a management consultant."
Really? Really?
Brad Smith
Stafford