Allowances...
By wallfranklin
@wallfranklin (148)
United States
January 31, 2009 1:04pm CST
Do you give your children and allowance? If so, at what age did you start? How much? I started very young with mine, right around 1. I figured if they can help me pick up around the house and pick up all their toys, they deserve something. I give mine a quarter each night if they help me clean up the mess they helped make. If they don't, no quarter. Think I'm nuts? I've heard it from alot of people. I just think it starts teaching them responsibility early on and then they can continue good habits through life.
1 person likes this
10 responses
@Jae2619 (1483)
• United States
1 Feb 09
We started giving allowances at 2, when they truely understood the concept of helping. My 17 month old daughter is happy with a big clap of the hands and saying good girl for the time being, but my son who's 6, is all about the money. He's got his piggy banks so when we go out of the house he can spend his money on things he likes... that we won't buy for him. He get's anywhere from a quarter to a dollar a day, depending on what he's done. Just picking up a few toys only gets him a quarter, cleaning up the mess that him and his sister made with out being asked, usually gets him a dollar. I've always told him, just being responsible and picking up after yourself get's you the most allowance. I think it's a good learning skill that needs to be taught early.
2 people like this
@wallfranklin (148)
• United States
1 Feb 09
I think that children actually can start to enjoy "chores" if they know what's coming in return. My son gets so excited when he gets to put his money in his bank. I completely agree that this needs to be taught early. I'm not going to be one of those mothers who goes to their kids house and picks it up for them when their older!
1 person likes this
@Jae2619 (1483)
• United States
1 Feb 09
Gosh, Me either. I'd never go to their house when they were adults and clean it up for them, inless it was for a medical reason. such as a new baby was coming so on... but just because they were to lazy to do it, and never was taught the responsiblities of life. I already feel like I'm the mean mom. If I have to tell my son to pick something up, I give him a reasonable time allowance, and if it's still not done.. I'll ask one more time.. and if he refuses to do so. I pick up and put it up so he can't have it for a while, weather it be a day or a week, and he loses his allowance for the day, no matter if he tries to do something to show me that he's trying. He get's a thank you for trying comment and that's it. I feel he's gotta learn now that life isn't always easy and he's gonna learn that there are consquences for his actions. Some good, some bad. It's gotta be learnt and taught early or by the time they are older, they won't care or even try. I have a nephew who was waited on hand and foot, and doesn't have any respect for his parents now because they never taught him as a child how to do things, and feels they should still wait on him hand and foot... he's 20 and still living with mom and dad, not attending college, and not working... I don't want that for my kids. I want the them to grow up and know what to do and when to do it.
2 people like this
@rsk721 (41)
• United States
31 Jan 09
My kids also have to earn an allowance. They get a dollar for cleaning their rooms and then I give them opportunities to earn more money if they are trying to save for something, like cleaning the car, etc. However, they do have some jobs that they don't get paid for like helping us haul wood for the fire and family projects that we all do together. I find this has worked quite well. When they want a toy and don't have enough money, they know how to earn more and they've learned the hard way that Mom won't buy it for you on credit!
@KrauseHome (36448)
• United States
1 Feb 09
Personally I was never able to have kids myself, but I feel that if I would have been able to have any I would have started when they were around 5. You need to be able to start when they are young giving them a chance to be responsible for what they have, and learn how to live off of it instead of insisting on $$ from you and never learning for themselves as well. I remember there not really being an Allowance when I was growing up, and I think in a lot of ways it makes you less prepared when you get older for sure.
1 person likes this
@bubblyapple (2653)
• Philippines
1 Feb 09
I don't have children yet. But I do remember that when I was a child, I did not get allowance until I was in high school. We have packed lunch and snacks in school and we ride the school bus during my elementary years, so my parents reasoned that we have nothing to spend on so we don't need the money. When I was in elementary, I used to envy those who have their allowance, but now, I understand that my parents wanted us to value what we have and the money they eventually gave us.
1 person likes this
@forslahiri (1042)
• India
1 Feb 09
Hi,
I started giving pocket money as allowance when he was in ClassX.I started with 5/day.When he reached college I increased to 10/day.From hiscollege days he started earning thro tution.Thus, once in a while he asked from me...even today...
=Lahiri,Kolkata,India.
1 person likes this
@christinep312 (131)
• United States
1 Feb 09
My parents never gave me an allowance. I was just always expected to help around the house and if I didn't I would get in trouble. However if I ever wanted money when I was little my parents would sometimes let me do something extra to earn money. IDK if its a good way but that is what my parents did.
1 person likes this
@savypat (20216)
• United States
31 Jan 09
There is always a lot of discussion about allowances. I gave each one from the age of 5, but never paid for chores those were each family member's responsibility because we lived together. Allowance was just that money was divided after all expenses were taken out. I have no idea which way works best. That's the way I was raised. As the kids grew older, their allowances covered special things they wanted. the ones that saved could buy better things.
@Keykan (31)
• Indonesia
5 Feb 09
Is it ok to give money to our children just for doing something at home? will they be money oriented? I have 2boys, never think to give money for doing something like that. I just ask them to do simple task, sometimes they do it n sometimes they don't n i think it's ok because they still young. But i don't is it right or not.
I do tell them that you're not going to have anything that you want. If you want something you have to save your money. I give them piggy banks so they can save their money in it.
@wallfranklin (148)
• United States
5 Feb 09
So, you provide piggy banks for your kids to save money in. How do they get this money? Mine have piggy banks for the money I give them for what they do for the day, allowance. You say you don't give them money for doing things around the house, do you just give them money for no reason? I think this would cause them to be more money oriented. If they just get money they won't know that they will have to work for it in life.
@crshoveride1 (7)
• United States
26 Feb 09
My girls are 5 and 2 and they both have chores to do around the house. The discussion of allowance hasn't come up yet. Right now they both enjoy helping and often do it with out being asked. The oldest has to feed the dog and complains about it (already) and has often said she will teach her sister to do it so she won't have to anymore.
Chores are nothing big, just mostly making sure they are responsible for their toys and keeping their room straightened. The 5 year old often likes to make her own bed (I've never asked her to do it) and the youngest one likes to swiffer the tables (and walls) and gets the broom and sweeps.
As they get older I will make sure they have more responsibilities but as far as allowances... haven't quite figured it out yet. We often just empty pocket change into their piggy banks and any holiday or birthday money gets deposited right into their savings.
@agreen (39)
• United States
11 May 09
Our children don't receive an allowance but they do recieve money for things they help out with around the house. They have chores to do and if they do them, they get paid for them. If they don't, they don't get paid. Simple as that.
