I have discovered that providing my older children with opportunities to earn an allowance is more difficult than I had anticipated.

Finding jobs that are worth being paid for, some on a regular basis, and some special jobs, is tricky. I want to find things that they know if they do, and do well, they’ll earn a little something, but I also don’t want to pay them for every chore they do around here, because family doesn’t work that way. They need to also learn that family members work together to take care of a household, regardless of their own financial gain, so I don’t want to overdo the daily chores for money thing.

Finding special jobs is also tricky. What is worth being paid for? Cleaning up a mess of toys made by their younger brother and sister (especially if it’s a job I don’t want to do)? Helping me make a special dinner? Helping Daddy wash the car? Oh, and I should probably try to be consistent in what kinds of special jobs earn monetary compensation, too.

And then there’s the whole issue of how much to pay them. It needs to be enough that it won’t take them *forever* to save for something special they’d like to buy, lest they get discouraged, but not so much that they just go out an blow it all at once. Oh yeah, it also has to be an amount *we* can afford–the bank of Dad and Mom doesn’t have an endless supply!

Right now, the two main jobs Turkey and Bunny get paid for are A.) making the two beds in their rooms each day for $.25 a day, and B.) helping Daddy wash the car (when he desires their help) for $2 each per time. They get paid for other jobs as they come up, at our discretion, of course.

I hope I’m doing an OK job of teaching them a little something about money, work, and family. I guess we’ll find out as time goes on.