I hear a lot from other parents about children feeling entitled. Entitled to treats, toys, and my least favorite, an allowance. Around our house, we have never given an allowance. First off, I have the memory of a rock and I would never remember to hand out an allowance. Second, I don’t feel that my children should be paid for simply existing or for making their bed. Making a bed and picking up after themselves should be a matter of respect, not something you get paid for doing. Of course every family is different, but this is what we have chosen to do for our children.
We have 4 kids from age 3-10. What we have come up with is a piece of paper on our fridge that I print each week that says “Jobs for Hire“. I stick it up fresh every Monday and the kids can put their name by it to let everyone know that they finished an item on the list. Then I simply just go through the list, verify that the job was done, and pay the worker.
If you’re interested in making your own “Jobs for Hire” sheet for your family, CLICK HERE to download a copy of ours.
Here are some examples from this week:
- Brush Dog: $1 per dog
- Wash sheets and remake beds $2 per bed
- Weed Gardens $2 per full bag of weeds
- Mop Kitchen $2
- Clean off porch $2
- Clean bathroom $3
- Clean and reorganize shed that holds outside toys $10
Am I overpaying on some of it? Perhaps. However keep in mind that this is the only chance they have to make some money and they have to get to them before a sibling does, it works for us.
And I have a clean house. With freshly washed sheets. And the kids are happy and proud of their hard work. They have money in their piggie banks and I won’t have to deal with the “I wants” in the store. They will have to check and see if they have the money for whatever their heart desires. Most of the items on the list are already done today, the first day of our new job list! Yes. This works for us.
How do you handle your kids earning money?
Julie says
I love this! I have a similar approach with my kids, and this is exactly what I needed to simplify things and just get it done. Thanks!
MommyOctopus says
You’re welcome Julie! We just needed something simple for our family, so this worked 🙂
Susan Childers says
I’ve *got* to do something like this. I fear I’ve already fostered the entitlement feeling too much in my kids. They definitely don’t get “everything” they want right when they want it, but they definitely don’t do a whole lot of work around the house, either. This way, it would be a win-win situation: getting them to do chores while allowing them to earn the money to buy the things they beg for (and all too often simply EXPECT to get and complain when they don’t). Now…. to get my list created….