The Preteen and the Allowance

Mom Stages - Preteens

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Kids love money. Folding money. Coins of any denomination. Chuck E. Cheese tokens. Foreign money. Money from the tooth fairy. If it looked like money my kids loved it. I would reward good behavior and completion of chores with 10 cents or 25 cents depending on the age of the child. Preteens love money, too.

At some point my preteens' view of money changed. Number and money sense learned at school began to be applied at home. The biggest change was when my preteen wondered why she did not get an allowance. According to her all of her friends were given a weekly allowance.

I did not have a ready answer for her. In my childhood and teenage years, I was given an allowance on an irregular basis. One week I would be given my allowance, while the next week my mother would give me the allowance, but then need me to give it back so that she could pay the milkman. I'm from England where the milkman and his milk truck were a fixture on the roads in the early morning hours. In all my years in England I never saw a female deliverer of milk. Oh, I never called it an "allowance," I called it "spends." I have no idea why. Maybe it was an English-ism?

In my opinion my preteen does not need an allowance. She does not buy her own clothes. She is given clothes by both grandparents throughout the year. I give her money for lunch and snacks at school. At volleyball tournaments and swim meets, I never ask her to pay for her own snacks. So, why does the preteen need money?

Preteens need to have money in a purse or wallet. A preteen wants to know that he or she can buy something if the need arose. My preteen loves buying preteen magazines and gum at Walmart.

I reward my preteen for doing large chores or looking after her brother. My husband will reward the preteen for having a good attitude about early morning swim practice and swim meets. My preteen is happy that she has a little money in her wallet. I am happy that she is learning the value of money.

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