Kids and Chores
Posted in A day in the life of . . . on Feb 3rd, 2008
There has been talk among my friends about whether or not children should be
given allowances for doing chores. My husband and I have discussed the matter, and haven’t come to a conclusion.
I don’t mind the thought of giving my boys money for extra work they do, but I’m not so sure about “paying” them for things they need to do to help around the house. They’re supposed to help with dishes, take the garbage out, and take care of the animals.
I don’t feel that’s too much to ask of them. They eat on the dishes, too. They generate their share of garbage. And most of the pets we have, they asked for. So, all in all, I think it’s only fair that they help with these things. I mean, goodness, they’re 10 and 7. They should start pulling their own weight around here.
The thing I’m having problems with is figuring out what we do to determine what tasks are deserving of “pay.” My youngest son keeps saying that he should get paid for washing the car. Well, it’s cold here, and I don’t think I need either of them standing outside in these temperatures with a hose and buckets. That idea will just have to wait until later in the year.
So, my questions are: do you give your kids an allowance, how much and how often do you give them, and what tasks must they complete in order to get their allowance? Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated.
Be bless and have a great week!
I have an 8yo and 6yo. We give them half their age in allowance each week. Allowance isn’t tied to chores. Chores are what you do because you are a member of the family. Allowance is tied to behavior though. So DD8 starts out with $4 in quarters in a jar and DS6 starts out with $3 in quarters at the beginning of each week. I take quarters away for bad habits. Not for HUGE infractions such as disobedience or defiance. Those issues are dealt with differently. I will take a quarter for wasting time or whining, that sort of thing. At the end of the week we tally up the quarters that are left and that is their allowance. They buy all their own toys and STUFF. Anyway, just a glimpse into our house.
Thanks for stopping by and for the glimpse. I may have to think about that a little bit more. Do you have an age where you’ll stop giving them allowances?
That’s a question I’ve not really spent much time thinking about. Dh and I were both working odd jobs (mowing lawns, filing for a dental office, etc.) by the time we were 14. That is fairly unpopular in this modern day but I’m not so sure it would be a bad thing. We, as a society, don’t give teenagers enough meaningful work. I’d love to be on a farm in the sticks by that point and having them chop wood. LOL. Oh, well, I can dream.