Comments on: My Boys Are Becoming Men

By: AndyVA

AndyVA — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 19:40:17 +0000

I agree with the above posters in theory, but my parents paid me a below-market amount to mow the lawn, and it had a side effect… I avoided their lawn (with the push-mower, $3) to mow the neighbor’s lawn (riding mower, $15). The end result? They had to mow the lawn and didn’t teach me anything about money, except how to shop for a better job.

I don’t have an answer, but I stumbled across this website earlier today that seems to have some merit for pre-teen/teenage boys. Check out ChoreWars.

By: JimmyDaGeek

JimmyDaGeek — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 16:43:55 +0000

Since both your boys have qualified on your mower, I suggest you:
1) Set up a mowing schedule
2) Alternate between the boys
3) Only pay if an out-of-cycle mow has to be done.

Point out to them that this is part of growing up, taking part in the household chores, just like you currently drive them where they need to go if they can’t get there on their own.

For example, trash and recycling were split between my two boys and the responsibility was switched every 6 months.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:44:30 +0000

I wouldn’t pay them extra for mowing the lawn. I think that it’s a good value to teach them that everyone in the family contributes to the household wellfare… not for a financial reward, but for the reward of everyone chipping in and producing a happy home.

By: Term Life Pro

Term Life Pro — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 23:55:25 +0000

That is a hard one. I don’t have children, so I’m not sure how I’d handle that. But I have thought about another idea for my kids (if I ever have any). Growing up I was a little spoiled (okay, maybe a lot spoiled), and I feel like it handicapped me. I was never forced to work or pay for what I got, so when it was time to enter the real world I was years behind some of my friends. So I’ve thought that when I have kids, I will help them pay for whatever it is they want, but I’m going to make them raise half of the money. That way they have some ownership and can learn the value of working for what they get, instead of just giving it to them.

By: Meg

Meg — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:17:50 +0000

I always wanted to mow as a kid, even though my parents looked so tired and sweaty after it was done. It looked so fun! They never let me though (as a female, I allegedly lacked the upper body strength to keep the push mower from running down the hill of our backyard into the woods).

I agree I’d wait until the “fun” part wears off to even think about it. They may never even see it as a chore, only as “fun times with dad in the yard.” If you automatically start paying them for it, they may quickly get the idea that it’s a task not to be desired unless you’re being incented in some way.

The only financial incentive my dad offered was a relatively hefty bonus for straight A’s on the report card. We were expected to acheive no matter what (all A’s and one B would require a detailed explanation about “what went wrong” in that one class), but the bonus was there to keep us from getting complacent with a B average, for doing a little extra hard work. (Of course I don’t suggest that if one kid obviously is a C average type of student while the other easily makes all A’s).

By: Independent George

Independent George — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:58:16 +0000

No fair, Tom Sawyer, why are you the only one who gets to whitewash the fence?

By: Four Pillars

Four Pillars — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:49:28 +0000

I say don’t pay them since it sounds like they enjoy doing it anyways…

Wait until there is a task they don’t like – then break out the big bucks!

Mike

By: finster

finster — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:46:23 +0000

They could only get the full $10 if they mow. If they don’t they get less. Extra effort pays extra.

By: Brent

Brent — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 23:42:28 +0000

We pay our kids an allowance, but it isn’t setup like a normal allowance. They have chores they must do each day to get paid for that day, then we pay them for the week on Saturday.

If they complete all of their chores then they qualify for other bonus chores that they can bid on. They learn how to bid on things and to put a dollar value with their time.

Personally I don’t think our kids will ever get paid a straight allowance. They must work to get the money, if they don’t work they don’t get anything. We’re working on encouraging them to find new ways to make and earn money.

By: Chad

Chad — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 23:40:42 +0000

I would pay them extra for the lawn mowing and drive the idea that as you go thru life, the harder you work, the more rewards you benefit.. I wish my parents would have done this, I wasnt paid extra for “extra” chores and it did affect my work ethic as i got out in to the real world. I had the mentality it all pays the same so I am only going to do the minimal required… I have long since learned the fallacy of this and have changed my ways, but looking back, I had lost out on the “teachable moments” my parents could have offered me and with a different mindset when I first gotten in to the work force, I dont know, life may have progressed differently, since i started out with an entitlement mentality.