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Sue8288
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| Posted: 25 May 2005 at 4:43am | IP Logged
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hello,everybody here:)I am the newcomer ,so happy to be here to share with you something about preschool education.I am Chinese,and I have a question to turn to you.In China,in order to keep the kids from spending money luxiously,a lot of parents come up with such a method:they ask their little to do some easy house work,for which the kids can "earn"some money.Since those parents think now that the kids should know that"no pains ,no gains"they should get something through their own efforts,and once they know money is not easy to earn,they will get rid of the bad habit of wasting money.However I think it's ridiculous,what's your opinion?I would appreciate it very much if you are willing to share with me:)
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mrs.story
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| Posted: 25 May 2005 at 11:41am | IP Logged
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Hi, Sue! I'm new, too. :-) Saving money and personal finance is a big deal in our house, so I knew I'd have to respond!!
My daughter will be 2 1/2 in a few days, so we don't intend to give her money to spend for quite a while. At this point, she knows about saving money. She has the little clear plastic piggy bank that was given to us when we opened her savings account. She also has a cool bank from Leap Frog -- you put the coin in the slot and can see it go into the bank, and it tells you what kind of coin it was, trivia about the coin, and the total in the bank. When we have loose change, she knows it goes into the bank!
When the time comes that Jessica is interested in having a little spending money of her own, I believe we WILL have her do a little housework for it. I don't know how different societal pressures are in China, but I feel that here we are very materialistic. There is a very strong sense of entitlement in our society. I want Jessica to understand that she may WANT something, but that doesn't mean she is ENTITLED to it. Money doesn't just magically appear -- it comes from somewhere (earning it). When she buys something, I want her to understand how much she has, and that she cannot spend more than that amount.
So, *I* don't think it is ridiculous. She will have basic responsibilities around the house, and if she doesn't keep up with them, she won't get any spending money. However, I realize that she's a kid, and I'm not going to be a slave-driver. I'll try to be flexible when I need to, plus I'm sure she'll get little gifts from the grandparents from time to time.
I think it is interesting to know how money is handled in other countries -- thank you so much for bringing this up! Why do you think it is ridiculous for the kids to do easy chores to earn their money? Are the parents too rigid? It is my opinion that here, kids seem to think they NEED the latest and greatest of everything, and many parents bend over backwards to give it to them (sometimes getting themselves into financial trouble).
I will be following this thread -- I hope that there are more responses. Thanks again for bringing it up, Sue!
:-)
Lisa
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HelpfulFan1
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| Posted: 25 May 2005 at 3:26pm | IP Logged
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Hi Sue. I work for my money and I do believe in earning your money. Lazy bums are not tolerated on our household. Not to offend or anything, but the Bible does say something like "let man work for his posessions" or something like that. I do simple chores such as feeding our many dogs and folding laundry (and occasionally washing dishes). I love kimonos. Anyways, hope all goes well for you.
Love in Christ,
Jessica
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Heidi
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| Posted: 25 May 2005 at 6:41pm | IP Logged
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Hi Sue :)
I don't think it is such a bad thing for children to understand that they need to do chores or jobs around the house to "earn" their allowance.
Here is how it is at our home: My 7 year old helps to set and clear the table, and empty the dishwasher and put the dishes away. He also is responsible for putting away his cleaned clothes. Everyone in the family has responsibilities, that is what a family is. He does understand that he can not have everything he wants, although he does get a lot of things. He knows that he can usually get something after the bills are paid and if there is enough money that week. Many times he will select two smaller toys instead of one larger one. He has a bank account and saves his money and change at home to take to the bank. We have tried to teach him that money does not grow on trees and that he needs to spend his money wisely, no matter how he gets it.
I am looking foward to reading other's opinions and how they teach the value of money.
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Heidi
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Susan72
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| Posted: 27 May 2005 at 12:05pm | IP Logged
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Hello-
This is a subject that is dear to my heart. How do you explain to a child that there is more to life than material wealth and that a family must work for all that it has? My daughter is 7 and when she was 4 we started giving her an allowance. She gets $2 per week for setting the table and a few other minor things. She has to save $1 and she is free to spend the other dollar as she wishes (I have since heard that her friends receive up to $5 per week for doing nothing). She also has other jobs, like cleaning her room and putting away her own laundry that she is just expected to do. She didn't want to save that dollar that I expect her to plug in her bank every week, but that all changed when we counted her money and saw that she had enough to buy a toy that she really, really wanted. Now she chooses to save the full amount of her allowance. She has the choice, but it took that one experience to show her that saving is a good idea and that if she makes the right choice then she can have the things that she wants. Also...this may sound silly...I have used money examples in the past such as "If this family doesn't stop using so much toilet paper, then I will have to buy extra toilet paper the next trip to Superstore and then we won't have they money to go to McDonald's next week". That seems to help them understand the value of money.
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JoAnna
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| Posted: 30 May 2005 at 5:18pm | IP Logged
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I have a slightly different take on this subject. I too agree that it is very important to make children aware of saving money. However, I disagree with the 'allowance' concept. I know many parents do give an allowance, but we are a one-income family (I stay home with my children) and to be honest, I don't have the extra money to give my two children. Plus, I think that it is wrong to teach them that they should get paid for doing hosehold chores, because when they grow up they will learn that what is done at home is done for free. This is especially important with my children, as they are both boys (ages 8 & 5). I want them to grow up learning that housework is just as much their job as it is for their wife!!
So they have always been expected to clean up after themselves when they eat, to pick up and sort their dirty clothes, and to tidy up their toys. Now that I am almost 7 months pregnant, their chore list is growing - mostly because I can't bend down any longer:) Beginning today, I printed off a Chore List from dltk and it includes cleaning up dishes after they eat, wiping up the table, vacuuming the floor under the table, making their beds, feeding the pets, and picking up ALL of their toys and dirty clothes. Plus, each day they have one extra chore (such as sweeping the living room, dusting, or wiping out the bathroom sink). I explained to them that if they do one extra chore each day, the house will stay clean all of the time.
Now, as for what they 'earn' by doing all of this work!! They 'earn' the right to play outside or to go swimming in our pool - neither of which they can do until the chores are complete. They have learned that the 'fun' things come after the work is finished. Just like we learn as adults!! I recommend that you take a look at what your child really enjoys doing and then let them 'earn' the right to do it by working for it. This prepares them for adulthood, where we all have to work to earn the things we want.
Their other 'rewards' are the extra-cirricular activities they like to do. For my children, it's Tae Kwon Do - a VERY expensive sport. So I have explained to them that as long as they are doing what is expected of them at home (plus getting good grades at school), they can go to class and compete in the very expensive tournaments they love. So they do see that they are earning the right to do something expensive.
As far as actually earning money, there are a few different ways my children do this: 1)Grandparents! Any time they stay with Grandma and Grandpa, they do odd jobs around their house, (like raking leaves and carrying things up- or downstairs for them) and they earn a little money for this - usually a quarter at a time. 2)Special jobs at home. For instance, we have a sweet gum tree and my husband offered to pay them 1 penney for every gum ball they picked up out of the yard. We did this just before vacation, so they could earn some spending money for the trip (and they earned $25.00 altogether, who knew there were that many gum balls?). 3)County Fair. Our County has a fair each summer and they enter lots and lots of projects, crafts, cakes, pictures, etc. They earn $7.00 for 1st prize, all the way down to $4.00 for 4th prize. Last year, my oldest earned $70.00!! It was all put in the bank. 4)Birthdays! They used to get maybe $10.00 - $15.00 cash for their birthday, and I would let them spend it all. But this year, my oldest got a lot more, so he was allowed to spend $10 and the rest went in the bank. He is really excited to see how much his account is growing, and when we were shopping the other day he noticed that he actually had enough to buy a trampoline (not sure if we are actually going to let him get one, but he was excited to know he had saved up that much).
I hope this helps give you a little different perspective on the money issue.
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Susan72
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| Posted: 31 May 2005 at 11:28pm | IP Logged
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Hi Joanna;
I like your view on the money subject. I know a family that gives their kids an allowance (meaning they get a set amount of $per week for doing not-a-thing) and those kids expect the world to be handed to them on a silver platter. Allowance at our house means money that you worked for. And the kids don't get it if they don't do the other unpaid jobs that they are expected to do as a member of this household. Just a question-my daughter is reading with me, she's 6 and we're wondering...what is a sweet gum tree? I'm sure it isn't candy gumballs growing on that thing, but our interest is peaked. We are going to look it up right now on the internet.
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Susan72
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| Posted: 31 May 2005 at 11:43pm | IP Logged
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Hello again-
Okay, we looked it up. We're good now.
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batraylover
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| Posted: 01 June 2005 at 2:13pm | IP Logged
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All though I don't have kids of my own, I have been in so many situations that I have seen how the whole "concept" of money is handled in the lives of children. I have been in both homes where kids receive a weekly allowance and homes where kids do not receive a weekly allowance. Personally I think the idea of a financial reward for doing things like folding laundry, taking out the trash, feeding pets, and so on and so forth is not a good idea. Why don't I think it's a good idea? Because kids are becoming so money hungry these days. And most of those things are household responsibilities that a kid who lives in the house should help out with anyway.
I baby-sit for a lot of families. You can immediately tell the difference between the kids that receive an allowance and those that do not. In particular, two children that I watch get a relatively high allowance ($10/week) and they are 12 and 7. They get this very high allowance for what I feel like is very minimal work. The 12 year old has to take out the trash and clean the mirrors in the bathrooms and the 7 year old has to clean the toilets with the toilet brush and help empty the dishwasher. Neither of which I think would earn $10/week, but you cannot tell parents how to raise your kids when you are the baby-sitter, but boy how I wish I could, LOL.
The other children that come to mind are homeschooled. They are expected to do certain chores. Everything from emptying the dishwasher to setting the table, to feeding their pets. They are not paid to do these chores, it is a part of their daily routine. It really helps give the mom more time to spend with them, because she can do other jobs while they get their work done.
If you don't get an allowance, there are still plenty of ways to make money. Setting up a lemonade stand, and donating a certain percent 10, 20, or even 50% to a favorite charity works really well. If they aren't going to donate part of the profits, encourage them to save some of the money. Other things that kids can do is help elderly neighbors with jobs like carrying in groceries, watering plants, walking pets, and so on and so forth. If they are going to walk pets, make sure there is an older child or teen, or an adult with them, you don't want them to get lost/hurt/pulled behind the animals. There's also things like raking leaves, and other odd jobs that could help them earn some extra money.
I have heard of other parents giving children X's for completed jobs on a chart, as well as for other things like completing their homework, and at the end of the week they get a set allowance only if they have X's all the way across. Those parents include behavior in that, and their kids do not seem nearly as money driven as some of the kids that I watch.
The main reason I don't encourage allowance, is because when you live in a household, as someone said, you should contribute to the household. The other reason is because I often have a ton of work to do (I neither have kids, nor do I have a job, nor do I own my own home) and sometimes when kids come over for a weekend, I have responsibilities I have to take care of. One weekend comes to mind, I was cutting out some fish for a craft in my Sunday school classroom (maybe a half hours worth of work at most), and the seven year old, whom I told I had some work to do, since I did not know she would be at my house all weekend kept nagging me with the are you finished yet, are you finished yet, and I told her if she grabbed a pair of scissors and helped we could get done faster. She said pay me $5 and I will help you. I hear that a lot from a lot of kids. I once asked a child to hold a trash bag open for me, and the kid told me pay me $10 and I will. Mind you these kids receive way more than that from me on a regular basis, we do crafts, go to the movies, go to the mall, and so on and so forth.
I think kids are just becoming too greedy these days. They get money, they spend every last cent, and want more money. It is awful the way things have become. I think it's wonderful that there are parents who try and control the children's spending. Like the 7 year olds who have a party with 20 friends and each child brings the kid $10 that's $200 in birthday money. Kids just don't need that kind of money these days.
One of the families I mentioned has kids that get their nails done every week, are both active in gymnastics, get their teeth whitened, the list goes on and on. I think if anything, those should be their rewards, not an allowance in addition to it.
Anyhow, just my two cents on the subject!
Love in Christ,
Sarah in California
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JoAnna
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| Posted: 02 June 2005 at 12:35pm | IP Logged
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I just wanted to answer the sweet gum ball question, even though you already looked it up. Not sure who named them, because there is nothing 'sweet' about them. They are about the size of a 50 cent piece, have prickly spines sticking out all over, and are generally a nuisance!! Last year the weather must have been just right because we had a bumper crop of them. . .
I think this year we will pay the kids by the wheelbarrow-full instead of per piece:)
P.S. I just wanted to add that my 5 year old got up this morning (his brother is gone to Grandma's for the night) and made his own bed before I even woke up! Oops, that reminds me, I haven't made MY bed yet. . .
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