chore boy

Lately Liam has been asking for stuff: more LEGOs, Star Wars books, new bike. A recent conversation went something like this.

"Mom, I need a new bike. This one's old. Can you go to the store and get me a bigger one?"

Hmm. True, his knees hit the handlebars when he tries to ride. The bike is a little small. But simply running out to the store to buy a new one is impractical on so many levels. First, we are trying desperately not to buy stuff. Any stuff. And when it's really needed or necessary, to only buy it second hand. Second, we want to teach our kids about the value of money, that it doesn't grow on trees and that spending money you don't have is, well, a pretty bad idea. We want our kids to learn some good money lessons early rather than learn the hard way like their parents have often done.

This weekend I decided it was time to start giving Liam a small allowance. But rather than simply giving him money for his bank each week, he has to earn it. There are many schools of thought on allowance. Some say chores shouldn't be tied to one; others say a child shouldn't get an allowance without doing some work. I figure since Liam actually enjoys doing jobs, why not reinforce the activity with an opportunity to save up and buy something special?


So, together we made a chore tin, covering an old tea container and writing various chores (that Liam helped me think up) on craft sticks. Each day, he draws a stick from the tin and goes to work. Two days after we began the new ritual, he promptly got the flu. I knew he was on the mend this morning when he came downstairs, curled up with me on the couch, popped his thumb out of his mouth and asked excitedly, "Mom, can I do my chore today?" Now, if that ain't worth ten cents.