The rewards approach is also used in school classrooms. Kids are offered inducements such as stickers, stamps, early marks and free time if they finish early or do what they are told.

Kids who end up in "red" don't get a reward. At the dentist, she gets another prize for not having cavities. At church, she gets a prize each week if she recites her Bible verse.

Now it’s not like no praise is ever offered—the principal says she does pull kids aside and tells them she appreciates their good efforts—but the dog-and-pony show of elaborate rewards is gone.

Parents often confuse bribing with rewarding their kids. Learn how to use rewards to build your child's motivation and self-esteem.

A survey by Greenlight found that only 22% of parents use credit card rewards for long-term saving, despite 90% saying they wish they had more money saved for their children’s future.

The kids have lived alongside their two children, Reilly, 6, and Lyra, 2, and in a few months will meet the newest addition to their family when Carrie delivers a little boy or girl.