When kids are in grade school, junior high, or even high school, parents have a great deal of influence when it comes to grades. For one thing, you have the ability to offer or deny rewards based on performance, including allowance, gifts, or even activities like slumber parties, trips, and so on. But you can also levy punishments for poor grades that include grounding kids, removing privileges, or taking away their toys (including video games and cell phones). And of course, they live in your home, so you can sit with them from the time they get out of class until they go to bed if that’s what it takes to ensure that they get their homework done. You can also call their teachers or even embarrass them by showing up for their classes to make sure that they’re paying attention instead of goofing off (chances are you’ll only have to use this tactic once in order to turn it into an effective threat). In short, you have many tricks up your sleeve to ensure that your kids work hard to get the good grades they’ll need for admission to their college of choice. But what can you do to keep them at peak performance once they fly the coop, head for campus and your college student’s grades drop?

Money talks

While you might not think that any of your old strategies will work once your kids head off to college, the truth is that you probably have a lot more sway than you imagine. This is particularly true if you happen to be paying for a significant portion of your students’ expenses. There’s nothing that says you have to put your kids through college, although of course, most parents want to ensure that their children have the best possible education and prospects for the future. The point is that college is a privilege, not a right, and it’s one that your students have to earn. So you should make the terms of your contributions conditional. Even though your kids might not be footing the tab for their time in school, they have to hold up their end of the bargain by receiving at least passing grades. Otherwise they’re throwing your money away.

Outline the rules and guidelines

What you need to do is enter into an agreement with the college-age kids in your household before they leave for school. If they want to have fun and waste time while they’re on campus, focusing on socializing rather than studying, make it clear that they can pay their own way. But if they’re willing to work hard for a degree and maintain a certain GPA, you should definitely do what you can to help them. Now, this is not to say that you shouldn’t give them a little leeway. One bad grade doesn’t necessarily mean they’re slacking – it could just be a particularly hard teacher or class.

Use tough love

However, should your students persistently suffer from poor grades, chances are good that they’re either clowning around when they should be studying or they’re simply not ready for the demands of a college schedule. In this case it might be time to cut them off financially or demand that they move home and attend a local college (where you can keep an eye on them) until they’re back on track with their grades. Further pursuit of education, such asHarvard Law or  a USF MPA online, means they need to make their studies the main focus of their time in school. And if they simply aren’t getting the grades needed to graduate, you might have to draw a line in the sand on your end so that they learn a valuable lesson about decisions and consequences now, instead of later in life when you’re not there to catch them and set them back on their feet. Learning this lesson before grad school or permanent employment is much easier while they have your support in college.