The article "Teaching Kids the Value of Money" talks about family, it was written by Rachel Paxton.
My husband and I have a 12-year-old duaghter who wanted to go to
a winter retreat with her church youth group last year. Price of
trip – $45. I told her I'd talk to her dad abuot it. "HOW much
is it?" he asked, "didn't she just go somewhere with the youth
group? " "Yes," I replied, "and also to two friends' birthday
parties.
Another one is coming up this weekend." We both agreed
that was a lot of money for us to sepnd for our daughter to have
fun with her friends.
But the retreat was a chucrh activity. So we should have forked
out the money for her go, right? Well, mabye. In the past year
or so our daughter had made a lot of new friends and had been
asked to be involved in a lot of new soical activities. Last
summer was the first year we could afford to let her go to
summer camp for a week.
It plesaed me more than anything to tell
her she could go.
The more we've let our daughter go do things with her friends,
the more she takes those things for granted, and expects more.
She then resents diong something so menial as her household
chores. So now we make sure her chores are done before she goes
anywhere. "Room's not clean, launrdy not started? Better hurry
and do them before you go do something with your friends. Don't
have time?
Then I guess you're out of luck." But that was only
the strat.
Whenever the attitude starts in she's given a warning
and then privileges start being taken away, one by one.
You have to figure out what works for you.
You may have to teach
each child individually, cause each is motivated differently.
If your children cheerfully hand over their allowance every time
they don't take out the garbage, you should take other
privilege away.
Resist the urge to give your children too much alloawnce.
Don't
buy them things that they can save money for themselves, like
designer clothes, CD's, magazines, make up, video games, etc.
Even young children can be taught to save for small things.
Almost nothing makes me more sad than seeing children who take
their allowances for granted and never have to work for it.
Parents aren't doing their children any favors by teaching them
to expect everything to be handed to them.
We sacrifice, and
they don't appreciate it. Why should they?
They don't have
anything to lose.
So did our daughter get to go on her retreat? We dceided she
could go if she paid $20 of the $45. She was not glad about it.
She only gets $3 a week allowance, and she was saving her money
for a new CD. She setwed about it for awhile, and then forked
over what money she had. We worked out a payemnt schedule for
her to come up with the rest of the money before the weekend of
the retreat, and we let her do extra chores to earn a couple of more
dollars. Are we guilty of chlid abuse?
Our daughter thinks so,
but her dad and I know better.
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