As a mom I often hear my kids talking about how other children get allowances. My children how ever do NOT get one, so that leads to the question of should children get an allowance or not?
My oldest 3 children are 8, 12, and 14 so they do like to have money to spend as all kids do. But I have noticed that they don't want to do anything to get that money! They have been given chores and told if they want allowance then they have to do those items in order to get "paid". But then I thought why should they get paid for doing things that they should already be doing? I mean the children should help the parents around the house right? This is something that me and my husband struggle with and probably always will seeing as how my youngest children at just 2yrs and the other is 7mths old :) I did recieve an allowance when I was growing up, $2.50 a wk, and let me tell you I earned every penny! I dusted, ironed, did dishes every night, swept the floors, mopped floors, and also during the summer I got up early, 6am, and helped pick and can etc everything we grew in our large garden! So boy did I ever earn my $2.50!
I however do not think children should get paid for watching tv, playing video games, or hanging out with their friends, which is all my kids seem to want to do now a days. I live in a small town, population approx 6,000, and the other childrens habits have definitely rubbed off onto my children. Before we moved in town my kids had no problem doing their "chores", now all I hear is how so and so doesn't have to do chores and they get $20 a week.
So I figured out my reasons of why my kids don't and probably won't get an allowance
1. giving 3 children even $5 a week would be a stretch to our budget
2. They don't do anything to earn an allowance
3. They waste money when they do get even $1 (on silly things like noise making putty!)
4. They will never learn "work ethic"
SO with all of that said I am going to work on a chore chart and assign prices to each chore and then proceed to hand them their chore folders that will contain chores for each day. If they feel the need to earn money after working for it then the chore chart will be there for them :)
With a note to let them know that they will only be paid if the "job" is done all of the way. Not by sweeping the floor and pushing all of the trash into a corner, because that job is NOT done!
Hopefully this will work...... time will tell :)
