About a year ago, when my son was 3 1/2, he got a case of the “gimmies.” Every time we went to the store, he wanted something, and he had a hard time understanding why we just couldn’t buy him things all the time. What did I do? I started him on an allowance–he had to make his bed, put away his toys without complaining and take his dishes to the sink. If he did this every day, I would give him one dollar a week. Did it work? No, it failed miserably. He hardly did his chores, resulting in no allowance, so when he would ask for something, I would tell him he needed to start doing his chores to earn money. He would go right then and there to make his bed and then come straight to me, with his hand out, stating, “Allowance please.” Clearly, the concept of money and saving wasn’t getting to him. So, when Breezy Mama turned to Amy McCready of Positive Parenting Solutions for help, I found out that I was going about it in the wrong way. Read on to see what the RIGHT way is to instill respect of money, as well as household contributions in your children. –Alex
What age is appropriate to start allowance?
You know it’s time to begin allowance when your kids start asking for “stuff” when you go to the store. They may not yet understand the value of a quarter or a dollar – but it’s time to start giving them an allowance.
For example when you go to Target and they ask for a new Barbie – you can say… “Did you bring your wallet?” or “Do you have enough allowance money saved?”
For kids who don’t understand the value of money, you can [Read more…] about Allowance: When to do It and How to do It
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