Evening star., 1936-08-17
Lend New of the
Give Child
Allow ance
At Early Age
Teach Him to Spend
i and Save His
+ Mite Wisely.
BY ANGELO PATRI.


CHILDREN should be given allow
ances not as a reward, not as
gift, but as an essential element IN
their education and training. Chill
dren have to be taught the meaning
and the use of money, and the only
way they can get that highly neces-
sary knowledge is by personal expert
ence. The child must get and spend
money. The experiences ne gamers
In getting and spending are what ne
must depend upon for financial wis
dom in years to come.
This knowledge cannot be given,
nor can it be experienced in oriet
time. 1t must be learned during tne
wears. To begin with, child Is given
his money and told how to use it. BY
the time he Is ready to go TO college
he has earned some money ana can
be trusted to spend it with some show
of sense. In between these two stateS
lies a span of complicated expert
ences. The richer they are the surer
the child's power. The more per
sonal they are the sounder tner
foundation.
A 5-year-old is given 5 cents
week Is he to earn it? Is he to
take out his Sunday school money?
Is he to save any? l would say mo,
TO all three questions. Little chill
dren should get one experience a. 2
time for best results, and I think that
childhood is the spending time. Tell
the 5-year-ol that this IS his spend
ing money. He can buy whatever ne
likes, but he gets no more money. not
! cent, until next pay day. Stick to
that.
AS the children grow older the al
lowance is increased. They are
trained to buy their own clothes be-
ginning with little things and ex-
tending their purchasing field as time
goes by. Saving, personal saving,
comes more logically when the saver
is also an Garner Saving other folks
money is too close to spending other
folks money to win a high place IN
educational finance.
It is fair to let a child put aside a
share of bis funds for the purchase
of some special bit of equipment. 1t
is kind and fair, too. for parents TO
help with such funds by adding to
them on birthdays and high occasions
such as when an honor certificate
comes home from school. 1t is dis
tinctly unkind, and unhelpful, to say,
when you get $40 saved up I'll add
twenty to it and you can buy the
boat" When could he save SO much
as that?
The best test of any family prac-
tice is its success. Does it work? Do
the children work happily under the
plan? If it seems to work it ought
to be good for the children in question.
One plan is helpful when another
will not serve. The results must decide.
Sho Id children be paid for chores?
Children usually, especially young ones
who cannot really do work, ought to
have their share of the family finances
to shoulder, according to their ability.
It should be looked upon as a family
responsibility much as taking care of
the furniture and saving the light bills.
When older children do the work
that would otherwise have to be done
by outside workman they should be
paid in excess of their allowance, if
that is possible. The money usually
goes into the education budget of the
child. The idea under the scheme
ought to be family partnership, family
sharing and the responsibility that
goes with it.
(Copyright, 1850