Not every family feels they can afford them. Some parents simply may not want to give an allowance. Parents use allowances to teach children how to make decisions, how to prioritize between needs and wants, and how to handle money. Parents are often motivated to start giving an allowance as a way to avoid disputes with children. While an allowance may or may not have the desired effect on family harmony, it does provide parents with an excellent opportunity to teach their children valuable lessons about money.
Parents also get the chance to teach family values about money.
Parents may be in for a surprise once they have the answer to how much money they are currently giving to their children even without an allowance system in place. In a 1999 survey, the age at which children started receiving allowances was about eight years. Older children received bigger allowances than did younger children. It's a decision that needs to be made child by child. Delay giving your children allowances until they understand these ideas about money so that the allowance will have an educational benefit to your children.