Now that Tyler is receiving his allowance and saving a large portion of it, he has a new appreciation for the power of the almighty dollar. As he sees his stash grow, he wants more. Not just his allowance but he also wants payment for services rendered.
Take washing the car. One problem with being back in New Orleans is the preponderance of sawdust. Each time I leave my house after someone has been working, I leave with a thick coat of sawdust. And don’t even get me started on the bird poop!
One day last week after I finished washing my car, along with unsolicited assistance from Tyler, he holds out his dirty little palm and asks for his payment. “Should I pay him?” I wondered. After all, I chauffer him to and from school, the movies, etc. Where’s my payment for services rendered? If I pay him to wash the car, what’s next, payment for cutting the grass, taking out the trash, picking up behind himself?
I give him his allowance without any strings attached. He does not have to do any chores. I give it to him to teach him the value of a dollar. I cringe at having to pay him for work that I feel should be done freely by members of a family unit. I don’t want him to stop helping me but I don’t want to pay him for every little thing he does.
There are some things he can count on receiving money for. He knows he will receive money if he receives all A’s on his report card, for example. Still, I don’t have a problem rewarding him when he helps me, especially when he does things without my asking him. But rather than paying him for helping me each time, I find a better approach is the element of surprise- rewarding him at my discretion. Sometimes I will pay him and other times I won’t, depending on what task he performed.
What do you think- should or do you pay your kids for helping you?
See also:
Should Kids Help with Their Own Living Expenses?