Fiscal responsibility
Dutch has been getting an allowance for about six months now. This takes some people aback - what on earth does a 3-year-old do with pocket money? (The answer: buy Hello Kitty band-aids.)
I can see arguments on both sides of the Allowance Debate. I have no idea what Dutch is learning from this experience, since she doesn't really grasp the concept yet, and seems to have a pigeon's understanding of working toward a future reward. So I don't think it's teaching her much, and certainly not fiscal responsibility or anything lofty like that.
I do like the allowance, though, for several reasons having to do with me. First of all, the rule is that she is responsible for all frivolity. Cook and I am allowed to buy her frivolous gifts at appropriate times, like birthdays, and we provide her with clothing and shelter and food and stuff, but if she wants a toy she knows she has to either buy it herself or heavily lobby a family member to give it to her at some appropriate time in the future. (She gets a luxurious two bucks a week for frivolity, and she has to split the remaining dollar between saving and sharing). This means that I cannot give in to my consumer urges and buy her things, which is excellent for our budget and my discipline. The second benefit is that when she says "I want that!" in the toy store, I can say "Okay. You can buy it with your own money." This completely throws her off track, every time, and she wanders meekly away, and only occasionally ends up buying the item in question.
So, as with so very many of my parenting decisions, the verdict is that it works for me, and doesn't seem to be hurting Dutch, so I'm going to keep on doing it. After all, somebody's got to keep the family supplied with Hello Kitty bandaids for the next decade or so.
I can see arguments on both sides of the Allowance Debate. I have no idea what Dutch is learning from this experience, since she doesn't really grasp the concept yet, and seems to have a pigeon's understanding of working toward a future reward. So I don't think it's teaching her much, and certainly not fiscal responsibility or anything lofty like that.
I do like the allowance, though, for several reasons having to do with me. First of all, the rule is that she is responsible for all frivolity. Cook and I am allowed to buy her frivolous gifts at appropriate times, like birthdays, and we provide her with clothing and shelter and food and stuff, but if she wants a toy she knows she has to either buy it herself or heavily lobby a family member to give it to her at some appropriate time in the future. (She gets a luxurious two bucks a week for frivolity, and she has to split the remaining dollar between saving and sharing). This means that I cannot give in to my consumer urges and buy her things, which is excellent for our budget and my discipline. The second benefit is that when she says "I want that!" in the toy store, I can say "Okay. You can buy it with your own money." This completely throws her off track, every time, and she wanders meekly away, and only occasionally ends up buying the item in question.
So, as with so very many of my parenting decisions, the verdict is that it works for me, and doesn't seem to be hurting Dutch, so I'm going to keep on doing it. After all, somebody's got to keep the family supplied with Hello Kitty bandaids for the next decade or so.
Comments