Whether you live in the United States or in other parts of the world, for teenagers, studying for major exams can be a real
nerve-wracking affair. For Molly Rowlands, picking up her exam results in August 2018 was one of the most suspenseful moments of her life. Nervously opening the envelope, her hands shook with excitement and worry as she took a peek at her scores. It was in this moment her father knew…a promise he had made to her months before had just backfired.
You won’t believe this story.
High Aspirations
Molly grew up in Rhondda, Wales and was in the process of wrapping up her time in secondary school. She had high aspirations to study for her A Levels (an advanced exam that was required to complete the general certificate of education in the U.K.) and worked hard focusing on her subject areas that she knew she would be tested on for the exam.
No Time Off
When Molly put her mind to something, she never gave up and wanted to make sure she achieved the highest grades possible. She dedicated several hours every night to studying and even gave up her weekends. Molly wanted to make sure her knowledge of the subject areas was as in-depth as possible. And thanks to her strong will…her studying paid off.
The Day Finally Arrives
After the exams, Molly had to wait until August 23, 2018, to pick up the results. Opening the envelope, she was stunned to discover that she made A’s across all 14 subjects! “I worked so hard but I never thought it would actually happen,” the teenager told Wales Online.
Tears of Joy
“I came to school a bit late and then I opened the envelope with my friend,” Molly revealed. “When I opened the results I was just in tears – I burst out crying. I spoke to one of my teachers and he said they were the best results the school has ever seen.”
However, Molly soon remembered a little promise her father had made to her…one he was soon going to regret.
Hard Work Pays…Literally
At the beginning of the school year, Molly’s dad had promised her that for every A she earned on her exams, he would pay her 100 pounds (roughly $126 US). Now, for her father, the little promise began as a joke of some sorts, but now that the results were in it seemed his little pledge had backfired…in a really expensive way!
A Shock to the System
“It was two years ago now and it was a bit of a joke at the time,” Clive recalled to Wales Online. “I had a bit of a shock when I heard the results.” We’re sure he was shocked…he now owed his daughter a whopping 1,400 pounds! That’s over $1700 here in the United States. That’s definitely an incentive to study, right?
Not My Motivation
According to Molly, his promise of financial rewards had become a running joke in the house over the course of the year. However, she promises that was not her main motivation to study hard. She truly wanted to prove to herself that she could accomplish what she set out to do.
Money Makes the World Go Round
Molly told Wales Online, “It started out as a family joke that soon became a bit of a talking point. It first came up two years ago, before I started my exams. I was just joking around saying what are you going to give me when I pass?”
However, the joke soon became quite real.
Teasing Intensifies
In the days leading up to the exam, Molly began to hound her dad, asking him how much he thought he would end up having to pay. According to Molly, she truly had no idea what her grades would be nor would she ever expect her dad would owe her so much money.
The Card with A Surprise
With the results of the exams in, Molly’s father handed her a card with a blank check inside. “It was just a joke – but a few of my dad’s friends knew about it and kept winding him up. We kept the joke going really.”
However, for her father, a promise was a promise and it was time to pay up!
Social Media Sounds Off
After Molly’s story was reported by Wales Online and the Daily Mail, it sparked a very lively debate on the rights and wrongs of her father’s promise. Should he have promised a lower amount of money? Was that honestly the best way to motivate a child to study?
Bribe or Not
One user commented that her parents offered her a $1 for every passing grade on her exams, but in the end, her parent’s money was safe. She disagreed that the money was a bribe like many were saying and that her father wanted to simply reward her for the job well done.
More Sound Off
“The money is an incentive. Just like anything in life – you know you have to work hard if you can see a great goal ahead,” one user stated. However, another use disagreed, stating “Parents should motivate through showing what their kids what they can achieve for themselves and others. It should be through money.”
Molly never expected that her little story and father’s promise would spark such an online debate.
No Hate, Please
“It was all in good fun for my family,” Molly told Wales Online. She later stated that the money was never going to be something she could have taken from her father anyway. For her, studying and her education was a priority regardless.
Waiting is No Fun
The only tough part for Molly in the entire process was the waiting. Despite all of her studying, she truly thought it could be possible she failed some of her subjects. Leading up to the results being released, she had told her father his money was safe.
Whoops. We see how that all turned out.
A Celebration
After her results were in and she got her “blank check,” Molly and her friends went to a garden party as a way to celebrate. However, prior to heading out, she recalled some important words from her father that had helped her in the days leading up to the exams.
Words of Wisdom
“It’s just down to really hard work,” Molly said. “My father always said you get out what you put in, and that has been proved right today.” Of course, he was now out of 1,400 pounds, but in the end, his daughter was benefiting from new opportunities thanks to her high scores.
A Bright Future
With the exams now behind her, Molly is looking towards her academic future. She hopes to attend a university but still isn’t sure on what she will focus on. Regardless, her exam scores have proven that she can achieve anything she sets her mind too
