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Making Allowances for KidsMar 28 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Allowances are good for children, as they encourage decision making and math skills. Sooner or later, that is.
Most of us were raised to believe that getting an allowance would teach us how to manage money. Personally, I find that my kids never want to spend their money on those frivolous things they beg you to purchase for them. I have several hundred dollars worth of Pokemon cards to prove this theory. We were told that by making mistakes with relatively small amounts of money we learn the value of the almighty dollar. We learn to make choices, and not to waste our money. Many of us as children were required to do chores in exchange for this opportunity to fail. And fail we did, but it was a failure of patience, a failure of resolve. Today this is aided and abetted by marketers who are out to use a child’s ignorance and innocence to make a buck. These electronic corner bullies make it pretty darned hard to save an allowance. We didn’t want to save our allowances, either, as much as we wanted to buy the things we wanted right now. And then having those things never seemed to bring us the satisfaction that we saw on the commercials. Ah, commercials. Those magical words, As Seen On TV! Insert wicked parental laughter here. We know. Sure, children should get an allowance. I think they should receive one as soon as they begin asking for each and every item advertised on Cartoon Network and on the back of every cereal box. They should then be encouraged to send away for one of these items just for the experience. It is never too soon to learn that math skills have a purpose. Parents, how much is a lesson in caveat emptor worth? Here’s an example. You’ve seen the collectors maps for the state quarters advertised everywhere for several years now. For only $19.95 plus shipping and handling you will receive an individually numbered, 17” x 28” elegant royal blue laminated finish, extra thick double ply board with chrome steel edges, color coordinated by issue year limited edition with a certificate of authenticity. Wow! But wait, there’s more. My kid says, More? How could I want more than that to display my collection of state quarters? Ah, a bonus guide! That’s what I need! A guide to quarters from 1999 to 2008! Now I won’t have to memorize the names or whereabouts of any pesky states on this map. I have a guide! I can just check them off as I collect them. Collection. There’s the rub. How am I to collect these fabulous quarters? I've spent all my allowance! I look on the box to solve this dilemma and behold there is the solution! It says bonus commemorative state quarters to start your collection! I search the box for these quarters, but there are none. Instead, I find an IMPORTANT NOTICE! For security reasons, there are no coins in this package. I shake out the box, and my eye is caught by the small print. The small print doesn't say they are enclosed. Not if you really read it. But I get a mail in certificate to help me start my collection. My coins will be shipped from a secured facility. My coins aren’t lost. They’re safe, just waiting for me to claim them. I weep for joy. As I rush to ask Mom for a stamp, I realize I need a check, too. To get the bonus starter set of five commemorative state quarters, I will need the original, dated cash register receipt, the proof of purchase clipped from the box, and a check or money order for $3.99 for shipping and handling. There is a strict limit of one set. Cool. I wouldn’t want anyone to get ahead of me and just buy his or her set. “Mom? Can I have a check for $3.99 so I can send away for five quarters? They’ll be here in less that sixty days!” Stop laughing. It isn’t funny. Not to the kid who has just been had. As he stares in confusion while his parents apparently have hysterical fits at his expense, he asks, “What’s so funny?” One short mathematics lesson later, my child wonders, “You mean I have to pay 33 cents for a stamp to mail away for $1.25 in quarters that I’m paying $3.99 for? And then wait two months to get them?” That’s what they want you to do, sonny. It’s a bonus offer. Here’s your allowance, in quarters. Can you say caveat emptor?  |
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