Allowance and Kids: Our Working Plan
Even though my kids are young, one of the things my husband and I talked about before the first one even came home with us was, “How are we going to teach this child to thrive in this society?”
While I totally realize there are about a billion things that can go horribly wrong through a child’s life, it’s still good to have a plan that changes than to have no plan at all.
So when I read the BlogHer post Why I’ll Be Paying My Kid for Chores I found myself really excited to know I’m not the only mom that’s thought this through.
Of course, I don’t totally agree with her plan, even though I think it will work out fine in her family. She is going to make the kid do chores and she will or won’t get paid based on how promptly and with what attitude she does those chores.
Here’s how our plan is different.
We are going to have a baseline minimum that each child has to do and does not get paid for.Then there will be a list of optional chores the children can choose to do (or not do) and get paid (or not paid) for the chores.
Why the difference?
Trying to teach that you help your family with the exact same chores that you are trying to teach your child how the world works and how money is made won’t work around here. I don’t understand it, therefore would not be good at explaining it to a child.
Plus, our girls are really competitive. If we have each child with an assigned chore (or two, or three, you get the idea) and then a list of “optional” chores and the price each one is worth next to it…I think my girls will compete pretty hard to make sure they have more than the other child. It will also reward the child that works faster and sooner. (That whole “early bird gets the worm” thing.)
If one child is saving up for something special, she may offer to do the other child’s main chores for money as well. I would love to know I’m teaching my kids how to subcontract work out.
So…how much money?
No clue. This is the big problem. My girls are 3 and 4, so it’s not like they need this right now. But it’s coming up soon and it’s a number I have to come up with. Not only figure out the price for each chore (based on difficulty and time it takes to finish vs. ick factor) but make sure if one kid does everything they aren’t going to get $50! It has to be appropriate from top to bottom.
I mean, I’m creating an economy here…I want to do it right….
What about credit?
This is a sticking point. I want to get the girls “pretend” credit cards so they can make a larger purchase and institute a very simple interest rate (like twenty-five cents a week or something) that will accrue. I’d rather create a fake system than wait until they have a real card – that way if they make a mistake when they are young they are only hurting their credit with me, not messing with their real credit report.
I’ll probably use one of those fake credit cards that come in the mail stuck to a credit offer. They look almost real but not real enough to get stolen.
Am I missing anything? (other than life stepping in and messing it all up LOL)
Comments
4 Responses to “Allowance and Kids: Our Working Plan”
Got something to say?
-
Yep – I’m a Joiner!
My plan is similar to yours. The kids will have base chores, that are a requirement for being a part of this family. You do them because that is what it takes to make a house run.
Then, things like raking leaves, mowing the lawn, washing windows, etc will be optional paid chores (or punishment chores, then unpaid). Whoever does the chore gets the moolah, and the amount will be roughly based on their ages and need. I’ll pay ‘em both the same amount, equal pay for equal work – but matching up a basket of socks when they are 5 won’t pay the same as mowing the lawn when they are 10.
Rebecca´s last blog ..Crunchy Mamma?
I didn’t think about punishment chores!
Ours will probably be picking up the dog poop in the backyard. Punishment chores = HARDCORE!! *grin*
Love that you’re doing equal pay for equal work!!
Well, I don’t see the point in grounding ‘em. That punishes the parent as much as the child. Why not get some labor out of them? Besides, kids sit on their backsides and do nothing too much anyway.
Rebecca´s last blog ..Crunchy Mamma?
We use the following, and it works pretty well. (Two kids, 5 and 9)
Basic list of chores, must be done “because families work together…” (Making bed, putting away clothes, etc…)
Paid chores (taking out trash, cleaning up den, some dusting, etc…) 10 to 25 cents per chore…
This works very well…
-NCN