Allowance and Love in a Mist
Several people asked about the boys' allowance and how we handle that. It's an evolving thing. When we started it we were doing $1 per year of age. Eventually it somehow seemed silly that Leo was getting more than Owen and so we made them even and it's been running $7 a week for some time now. Recently we had some long talks about saving and charity and spending money. So this week the boys started savings accounts and we upped their allowance to $10 per week. I think I had originally planned that half would go into savings and half they could use but somehow the great manipulator (I used to think Leo had a future as an attorney but now I'm thinking perhaps Owen) talked us in circles and we have landed upon $2 stays in their savings account, an unknown amount goes to charity and the rest they can use as they please. They're pretty generous to each other and often pool their money to get something that one of them desperately wants so that pleases me. Then Owen found out that donating toys to Goodwill could be classified as charity and man he thinks he's totally got an out on the charity thing. "Oh," he said as he waved his hand enthusiastically, "we've got LOTS of toys we can donate...that's no problem." Yet again I think I've somehow been scammed. We'll see how it goes.
Their allowance mostly goes for Lego, sometimes for walks to Huber's candy window or the like. I pretty much leave it up to them although sometimes we talk things through.
They don't have specific things they have to do to earn their allowance. I've gone back and forth about that but have mostly fallen on the side of the fence that I want them to do things around the house to help just because they're expected to as part of the family and not to earn money. We will occasionally pay them for some extra above and beyond if they're madly saving for something. Generally they are pretty good about helping around the house and the yard. Leo groans a bit if it's outside but is pretty quick and efficient. Owen is BEYOND helpful when it's his idea...when it's not sometimes it's a struggle but he comes through. The real challenge is for us---sometimes we don't ask them to do enough. It's as though I look at them in surprise, realize how grown up they are and go, "oh yeah, they really could be doing more!" And of course sometimes I think "Good GOD, that's $80 a month" and realize we could never do this with a bigger family....
I'd love to hear how others handle this or your thoughts.....
and in other news....I could stare a pictures of Love in a Mist (nigella) all day long....