Paying Children for Doing Chores

By Lynn Murtagh-Hartje ö Mother of 2

In almost every DWP Parenting class that I teach, I am asked about allowances ö paying children for doing chores.  I tell the story of my personal conflict with allowance.

I believe my children should " cooperate" in household chores without pay.  In practicing the skill of cooperation, as a family we recognize that there is a job to be done  (i.e. clean the house) and we must all complete our share of tasks to accomplish the goal of having a clean house.  In our home, choosing to lose an allowance for not doing a chore is not an option.  All chores must be completed to reach the goal of having a clean house.

Therefore, we instituted an allowance program that is $1.00 times the children's age paid each month.

This allowance is given regardless of chore performance.  Out of this money, our children must tithe and buy their extra wants, like toys, Cd's, etc.  Essentially, they are free to spend the money as they wish.  Sometimes they are very successful at saving for something special and sometimes, they blow their whole allowance in the first week or days of the month.  Regularly, we have discussions about financial goal setting and saving.

Currently, my eleven year old is negotiating an increase in his allowance program.  The outcome is yet to be determined!