Evening star., 1938-08-24
Allowance
Values
But Should Not Be
Used as Reward
Or Punishment,
By ANGELO PATRT.

A CH1LDs allowance should not be
used either as a reward or pun
! ishment. 1t is his share of the money
set aside for the children's needs. If
he did not handle it himself some one
else would do so for him. 1t ought to
be his by right of family unity.
We give children an allowance to
| teach them how to use money AS
they grow in understanding we teach
! them more about the family budget,
how 1t is spent, and why. We try to
have them buy as many of their own
! things as possible so that they will
| learn what they cost and how far
money goes, or how short a stretch it
makes
We hope that the use of an allow
ance. coupled with the keeping of an
account book. will train the children
to wise spending and in time. to con-
servation of their funds. Saving is
not the beginning and end OF the use
OF money. Spending is very important
indeed, for We all must engage in it.
like 1t or not. Saving comes afterward,
If it can be managed.
Education, creating a sense OF re-
| SponSlbillty in the children in relation
| to the use of money is the reason for
! the allowance. If it is given or with
held according to the pleasure of the
/ groWn-up person in charge this edu-
catlonal value Is lost, and the allowance
becomes not help to the children.
but hindrance. They get wrong ideas
about money at the start.
| AS soon as a child can earn money
he should be allowed to do 80. provided
always that his earning does not inter-
fere with his principal job-educating
himself. 1t is always better for chill
dren to work for strangers. Work
for relatives has not the same values
IN training that work for outsiders
has. The standards of the strangers
Will be closer to actual conditions and
the childrens' ideas about work will be
more likely to be realistic than when
they work for the family.
Money earned should not be spent
carelessly. 1t is unwise to allow a
child to feel that any money he earns
is his for the spending while his father
and mother continue to pay for his in
creaslng expense. There ought to be
family cooperation in this By the
| time the children are beginning to pick
up odds and ends of work that give
them little money, they should be on
such a footing with their parents as to
share in the knowledge of the financial
| condition of the family. They should
plan together The childrens earnings.
If they are not needed for family neces-
sites. should be banked to the chill
| drens' accounts and saved toward their
future expenses.
Many parents think it grasping and
mean to take the childrens earnings
from them for any purpose, even saw
ing. They say indulgently. Let them
nave It, 1t is theirs. They earned it."
What has that got to do with the effect
needless earning and spending are 60
Ing to have on the habits of the chill
oren? Unwise use of money is one of
the surest ways to ruin children that
can be discovered or practiced.
Give the children their allowance
ana use it as an educational expert
ence, not as reward or O punishment.
Teach children to save for a specific
purpose when they have passed the
first childish spending spree And
help them to conserve their earnings.
Mr.. Patri will give personal at
tention to inquiries from parents
and school teachers on the care and
development Of children. Write him
in care Of this paper, inclosinx a
3-cent stamped, self-addressed en-
velope for reply.
(cop51ight, lpSe,)