Thursday, March 31, 2011
Jenn: Kids for Hire
Posted by
Cara
My kids are always trying to work some angle to get money. They used to get an allowance but we stopped that a few years ago. Because they knew they were getting an allowance, they started slacking on their household chores. Now my big ones are always looking for money. I don't just hand it out. If you work hard, you will be paid - if you slack then no dinero for you. It's not easy to teach this lesson.
One way my kids can earn money is by keeping their room clean. Every Saturday at 9:00 am there is room inspection - if your room is clean you get 5 bucks right there on the spot. That doesn't mean you have to keep it clean the rest of the week - but the hope is that if you are cleaning up for every Saturday eventually they will figure out its just easier to keep it clean. This works almost never. Unless they are saving up for something, $5 is just not a big enough incentive. I have tried to explain that all you do is have your room clean for a month and you have $20 - but they don't seem to want to put forth the effort. Mae recently asked me how she can earn money. She is suddenly very into nail polish and perfume and would like to buy some of those things. I told her she has to work. So we have come up with a list of chores - some you get paid for and some you do because you live in our home. I am working on a monetary value for each chore. I have gotten to the point where I am tired of cleaning up after everyone and could really use some help. I would rather pay my own kids than a housekeeper but I am not sure they are up for it. Their lives are so full already the problem becomes they don't have time to clean the bathroom except at 9:00 pm and they are just too tired to do a good job at that point. I recently paid Mae to clean the kitchen. She did an OK job. There wasn't really that much to do in my mind but in hers in seemed insurmountable. My kitchen in never in a state that is insurmountable. She needed to put some things away and wipe the counter tops down. She got paid because she tried - and I guess that is what I am trying to teach her. If you do your best, you will be rewarded. At school hard work is rewarded with good grades, at home hard work is rewarded with $. I have read books and listened to experts on TV and get the whole make them work for their money, make them save, make them give etc. etc. but that is not as easy as it sounds. Sometimes it's just easier to hand over a 20 and send them on their merry way. How do you handle money with your kids? Is there a secret to success I am missing?
One way my kids can earn money is by keeping their room clean. Every Saturday at 9:00 am there is room inspection - if your room is clean you get 5 bucks right there on the spot. That doesn't mean you have to keep it clean the rest of the week - but the hope is that if you are cleaning up for every Saturday eventually they will figure out its just easier to keep it clean. This works almost never. Unless they are saving up for something, $5 is just not a big enough incentive. I have tried to explain that all you do is have your room clean for a month and you have $20 - but they don't seem to want to put forth the effort. Mae recently asked me how she can earn money. She is suddenly very into nail polish and perfume and would like to buy some of those things. I told her she has to work. So we have come up with a list of chores - some you get paid for and some you do because you live in our home. I am working on a monetary value for each chore. I have gotten to the point where I am tired of cleaning up after everyone and could really use some help. I would rather pay my own kids than a housekeeper but I am not sure they are up for it. Their lives are so full already the problem becomes they don't have time to clean the bathroom except at 9:00 pm and they are just too tired to do a good job at that point. I recently paid Mae to clean the kitchen. She did an OK job. There wasn't really that much to do in my mind but in hers in seemed insurmountable. My kitchen in never in a state that is insurmountable. She needed to put some things away and wipe the counter tops down. She got paid because she tried - and I guess that is what I am trying to teach her. If you do your best, you will be rewarded. At school hard work is rewarded with good grades, at home hard work is rewarded with $. I have read books and listened to experts on TV and get the whole make them work for their money, make them save, make them give etc. etc. but that is not as easy as it sounds. Sometimes it's just easier to hand over a 20 and send them on their merry way. How do you handle money with your kids? Is there a secret to success I am missing?
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1 comments:
My kids ALWAYS have their grubby little hands out for money! I like your $5 on Saturday for clean rooms. I may give that one a try.
How are y'all?? Haven't see you in a while....
Lisa @All That and a Box of Rocks
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