Photography by Robert Anthony Provost, via Flickr (CC)

My children get a weekly allowance. One dollar for every year they have lived.

Allowance, at least in our house, is not tied to the chores they do or the behaviour we expect from our children. Truth be told, we don’t require much from our children. When they are finished eating, their cups, plates, bowls, etc. need to go into the sink. They need to brush their teeth twice a day. They need to say please and thank you and pardon me. They need to complete their homework. Their dirty clothing needs to find its way into a hamper. They must keep their yelling, whining and baby talk to a minimum. I don’t think we ask too much from them. But we ask for these things—which are mostly about personal hygiene and respect for others—no matter what.

The reason we chose to give our kids an allowance each week is to help teach them the value of money. It’s very easy for children to ask, ask, ask for things. In our house, my oldest wants things such as clothing and shoes and a cellphone, which I would guess are typical pre-teen girl requests. My son asks for video games and Pokemon figures, which I would guess are typical Grade 4 boy requests. My youngest asks for My Little Ponies and colouring books and tutu skirts, which I would guess are typical kindergarten-age requests.

I want my children to be able to have these things that they desire (with the exception of the cellphone) but I want them to appreciate how much these things cost. I want them to understand that a $7 Pokemon toy is not equivalent to buying a $65 Wii game. If Josh wants to buy the Wii game, he understands that he may have to save his weekly allowance for several weeks before being able to purchase the game. In turn, I hope that he will learn that because he saved up for so long to have the game, the value of the game is high and that he should take special care when using it.

We try to guide our children in their purchases, and they know that there are certain things that they cannot use their allowance for, such as a shopping spree at a candy store. For the most part, though, they make wise choices with their money, the same way we think we are making wise choices with ours.

What about you? Do you give your children an allowance? How much do they get? Do they have to earn it?

-Ali, Senior Associate Editor of CF.ca