Not to say that my kids don't step up: digging in the garden, assembling a barbecue grill, washing the car, or whatever. It's just that they do it for money when they choose to, not when it needs to be done.

There's a definite school of thought which says children should pitch in around the house because it's part of living in the house, rather than for pay.

I agree that they should pitch in just as members of the household. I consider things like throwing away their trash, putting dishes in the sink, cleaning up their own messes, putting laundry in the laundry room and putting the clean clothes away just part of their unpaid responsibilities. I have just started paying my boys 50 cents a day for making their beds in the morning. I told them I would add other paid jobs when they make their beds every day without reminders. Before my husband paid them $10 a week straight allowance. They were supposed to keep their rooms clean but would just end up cleaning it before allowance day usually by throwing everything under the bed or in the closet. It's hard to find a system that works for you but we'll keep experimenting until we figure out what works best.

my wife and i are wrestling with this issue currently as our 8 year old has recently asked. we're still debating the issue, and i'm not really sure what the best path is. like san, i tend to thin that the "extra work" shoudld get the cash. she's not so sure....i'll be interested to see if more share their success / failure stories.

Sean:

my wife and i are wrestling with this issue

I didn't mention him, but we have an 8-year-old son, too... and our reasoning is that the older you get the more your wants grow. So my 11-year-old boy, his 8-year-old brother, and his 5-year-old sister are each going to want less expensive things. And therefore don't need as much money as one another. So maybe this conversation will help guide your decision?

Come to think of it, heck with your 8-yr-old... make that new baby earn his keep! You know, formula doesn't grow on trees and breast milk isn't cheap either. ::

LOL! Good joke!


My children, including my 5year old do chores as expected of them. Their major jobs are to keep their individual rooms clean, i.e., spread the bed, put dirty sheets in the wash (not the younger one), pick up after themselves, make sure their laundry goes into the laundry room for washing, my oldest does her own. My oldest cleans the bathroom they use and she has certain days to wash dishes or use the dishwasher. My son just started doing dishes - he complains. He doesn't clean the bathroom because of his asthma. I have told him though that he will start cleaning the toilet since he's so messy when he uses it (his sisters complain)! He's learning to aim more carefully!lol!

I do give them allowance, unless I have to buy something that they really want, then that supercedes getting an allowance. My daughter was working and didn't need an allowance, but when she quit that job she was back on the payroll! She's working again now!

Kids can be lazy in that they don't want to do the simplest things or you have to remind them. So if they want to hang with friends, or go to a friend's house or something else, they know they won't be allowed until their chores are done.


I pay them for anything they don't usually have to do, like babysitting their younger sister.