Cribsheet
Why I'll Be Paying My Kid for Chores
by Rita Arens

I've heard a lot of arguments against paying kids an allowance in exchange for chores.  Some say the children have to do chores just because they're part of the family. (Yes.) Others say it teaches children to help out just for a reward and not for the joy of helping. (Yes.) I think those things are all true. And I'll still be paying my kid an allowance to do her chores (as long as my husband agrees -- it may be interesting to see his reaction this post).

Part of parenting is teaching your child how the world works. We live in a capitalist country that regularly trades work for money. The sooner kids learn that money doesn't fall from the sky for no reason at all, the easier they'll have it when they're spit out into that mess we call the job market.

Allowances also teach delayed gratification and the concept of saving. As my girl starts wanting treats at the swimming pool or a collection of sea monkeys, she's going to want some pocket money. Up until this point, we haven't let her make those decisions on her own -- we've always decided when she can have something and when she can't. I'm looking forward to giving her a little more control over her treats, and I'm also looking forward to teaching her the far greater reward of a big prize at the end of an anticipated wait rather than a pocket full of trinkets and bubble gum. It's a tenet I practiced better in my youth than I did as an adult, and with this recession mess we're going through, I'm putting more stock myself in the waiting game. Man, I can't wait to redecorate that kitchen.

We don't give my daughter an allowance yet, but we'll probably start soon. (She's five.) She already does chores around the house, although not as regularly as she will once that allowance comes along. Now she does them because I tell her quite sternly to do them. That evil eye business won't stop once she starts getting an allowance -- doing the chores is not an option, but whether or not she receives her pittance is. If she does them willingly and without being asked more than once, she'll get the allowance. If she doesn't, she'll do the chores anyway for free.  I think that's key -- the main argument against offering an allowance is the idea that the child could simply not do the chores if he or she decided not to care about the money. Oh, no. OH, NO. That is not how we roll.

That said, teaching kids how to handle money is so important. I will not only encourage an allowance, we'll teach my daughter how to handle a checking account and a credit card BEFORE she leaves the house. We want her to suffer the consequences on a small scale at home before she suffers them at the macro level out in the world. I believe that's as much a part of parenting as teaching children not to talk to strangers. DON'T TALK TO VISA. OR MASTERCARD. EVEN IF THEY HAVE CANDY.

Here's my real question: How much? If you offer an allowance, how much is it a week for how much work and which age kid?

Submitted by Rita Arens (view blog) on Thu, 06/25/2009 - 5:00am

Comments

 

Giving kids a little more control

I agree: it's great fun to watch their delight as they realize they can decide how much to spend and on what. It's also great to see them learn how to work within a budget. I still think you can separate a regular allowance from chores, but regardless of how you do it, kids need to have their own money in order to learn valuable life lessons. 

--

My mame is Beth Engel. I've been running my own online business, Epic Merchandise, where I sell personalized, engraved gifts, since 2003.

Submitted by Beth Engel on Thu, 06/25/2009 - 08:37
 

Chores and Pay

I pay for some of the chores, and others my kids have to do without pay because there are some things we just have to do because we're all part of a family.

I give my kids half their age a week for allowance, and I stop paying them when they're old enough to make that money doing other things like baby-sitting.

Oh, and if they're starting to save up too much in their wallets, without any purpose for it, then it goes into their bank accounts for college, and it can't come out.

It's working for us. :)

Leanne aka TiredMama
WWW.TiredMama.com

Submitted by TiredMama on Thu, 06/25/2009 - 20:12
 

I'm on the other side of the

I'm on the other side of the issue, meaning that I'm a kid whose parents had views similar to yours. While I'm certainly not perfect, I'm now 23 with an excellent credit rating, am without debt, and have saved enough to live for at least the next 9 months if I lost my job tomorrow.

 I don't say all that to sound like a jerk, but just to show how helpful my parents' teachings were. I got $1 for every year of age (twice a month), up until I graduated high school. Of course, my 'chores' grew as I did, and if I didn't do them or had an attitude (who me? never! :P ), I went without the allowance, was grounded, and still ended up doing the chores.

 I realize that not every family is able to do this, but my parents also helped me open up ONE credit card at age 16. I think that, at first, it was a joint card between me and my father. In any case, it was with the strict understanding that, should I go crazy and run up a ton of charges that they had to bail me out for, I would probably not live to see graduation! That card was a) for life or death emergencies and b) used to charge fill-ups at the gas station. I paid it off, in full, every month, and once I'd built a substantial credit history, the card was transitioned into my name alone. (with the understanding that the consequences of any spending sprees were also mine alone.) I'm really, really thankful that they were able to do that for me, because it was a good way to establish a credit history.

 Sorry for the novel-length post! In a nutshell, I think your idea sounds like a great one, and I can tell you from personal experience that yours kids will probably appreciate it, and will have learned valuable lessons, down the road!

Submitted by clemsonrn07 on Fri, 06/26/2009 - 06:54
 

We don't give our children

We don't give our children an allowance, but I pay per chore done.  I have to approve it beforehand, and like you, some chores they are just expected to do and not be paid for (cleaning up rooms, tidying their messes left in other rooms, taking dishes to the dishwasher, taking folded laundry to their drawers...  But I do feel it is important that they learn about economics and capitolism and the value of work as well as the value of a dollar.

So if the child comes up to us requesting money, we offer a chore, for example:  cleaning up the backyard, vacuuming the house, sweeping up the kitchen, helping Daddy wash the car, etc.  Jobs that are a little tougher and not so expected for little hands.  

One of my children (my middle child) really responds to this well and asks for more chores often.  The other two don't really enough about the money to do the work yet, and that's fine for now.  They also don't have as much spending money as my middle child, which is pretty much how the world works.

**edited to add:  I forgot to mention that my children then need to give one-tenth their earnings to the church as tithing, and then half of what is left goes into savings.  The remaining half is theirs to use as they wish.

Submitted by amiedanny on Fri, 06/26/2009 - 09:26
 

We've been thinking

My son is, of course, too young for chores at only 5 months old. But my husband and I have already started talking about what we might do when he is old enough to participate in the household chores. I think talking about it beforehand will keep us on the same page once the time comes. I think there are some really great ideas in here.

Good post!

Submitted by JennSpastic on Sat, 06/27/2009 - 19:18
 

We pay!

My kids, or the three oldest, get $5 a week.  They have a very simple chore list.  Actually, they have a total of two things to handle a day.  One of them is checking up on a particular room (whatever they have that week) and the other is something simple like taking care of the animals, putting away dishes, or taking out the trash.  These are their "chores".  They also have personal responsibilities which include brushing their teeth, picking up their room (not perfect necessarily, just presentable), typical personal hygeine stuff.  It's not much, but it works.  They are learning that they can pool together their money for video games or something else that they may all be wanting.  The oldest is 12 and I have eight year old twins.  My five year old is helping me with anything I need help with and he will most likely start getting money here and there.  I think I really like the idea of getting half his age since he isn't required to do as much yet. 

 Oh, and we don't offer "credit"!  LOL  They must stay in their budget, however we will handle tax simply because it's just easier for the time being. 

Submitted by Luvbnamomi on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 15:07
 

Re: Why I'll Be Paying My Kids for Chores

No matter which side of the paying or not paying allowance for chores side of the fence you are on, one fact is undeniable; as many previous bloggers and Rita pointed out, your kids will have to learn money management someday.  How you decide how to impart this crucial wisdom onto your kids is your decision and all allowance arguments are valid.

If you are considering paying an allowance to your kids to help them with their money management skills, here are some tips on “How to Determine the Best Way to Pay Children Allowance”:

1.    Decide how you want your child to use his or her money upfront.
2.    Have a piggy bank or other savings device.
3.    Pay per job/ chore completed.

For more tips and more detailed information on these tips please view: http://www.ehow.com/how_2253631_best-way-pay-children-allowance.html

Sincerely,
Maria, professional blogger
vein-treatment.com blogging team
http://www.vein-treatment.com/blog

Submitted by chickable on Tue, 07/14/2009 - 09:47