Stix ‘n Brix

Children’s allowances. As our first child became old enough to understand the uses of money, we were faced with familiar questions: Should we or shouldn’t we? How much is enough? How much is too much? These are questions that every parent has to grapple with as their children reach school age.

In some families parents dole out cash like clockwork, on a predetermined schedule. Others control all spending, allocating funds on a case-by-case basis. We’d seen enough spoiled children to be wary of the first approach, yet we wanted our children to have the experience of being responsible for their own finances. Our solution was a little unusual, but it worked beautifully. (more…)