Many kids expect compensation for the work they do around the house. A weekly allowance was always a part of our Saturdays growing up in my parents home and the more I helped out, the more money I made. Now that I have my own kids, I have learned that there are a few different schools of thought when it comes to allowance and what is to be expected.
Pro Allowance
Having an allowance teaches your kids the value of a dollar. It is a wonderful way to help children learn at an early age that if you want something in life, you have to earn it and that it won’t just be handed to you. Allowances are a great tool to use to get your kids to do something other than sit around and play video games and monetary compensation motivates children to work hard for things that they want.
Compensation for Good Grades
Many parents think that paying kids for good grades is a wise way to help them try harder and study more, but paying kids for A’s can backfire. Children should be “expected” to make good grades without being bribed to do so and some parents think that this type of bribery encourages kids to cheat or do whatever they can to get high marks.
Allowance Cons
A new idea about giving children allowances has been introduced to parents involving NOT giving allowances for everyday chores. These are the tasks such as cleaning their rooms, doing the dishes and cleaning the bathrooms that kids should do without expecting payment. Chores that everyone in the house are given that make them a contributing part of the family. Extra chores like washing the car and cleaning out the garage are all great “allowance chores” that not only help you as the busy parent, but also teach your children that working hard pays off.
Heather Green is a freelance writer, mom and the resident blogger for gocollege.com, a free informational website offering tips and advice on online schools.
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