I appreciate you leaving feedback on my post about teaching children about money. I certainly never meant to suggest that everyone who is receiving welfare is whiny or doesn’t want to work. I also didn’t say people shouldn’t be on welfare temporarily. It is necessary for some people to get back on their feet after an unexpected crisis and there is no shame in that.

What I am saying is that whether you are on welfare or not you shouldn’t feel you are entitled to something that you did not earn. I was addressing how important it is to teach our children that we don’t owe them the reward unless they work for it. It is the attitude of entitlement that is damaging our country and our children. That is what the Bible teaches and it is not the least bit judgmental. Just the opposite in fact, I love others enough to want them to have the satisfaction of knowing that they worked for their money.

2 Thessalonians 3: 10 “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat”

1 Timothy 5:8 “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel”

I’m not interested in getting into a political discussion or slinging insults just because we do not agree with each other. It is unnecessary to call me ignorant, smug and un-Christlike. I welcome your thoughts and will be glad to continue the discussion as long as it is in the spirit of helping one another. But I will not publish any comments that are insulting to me, my family or my other readers.

Lisa~

Kristin, it is difficult to work grandparents in that don’t have the same beliefs. What we do in those cases is just tell the kids to be respectful of the grandparents and know that once Grandma is gone we will discuss the matter. I might take that money and put it into a family “account” for us to use for things the whole family can enjoy. You have to be creative.

Becky, I remember when your son was raising money for camp. That is amazing! What a great lesson he will carry with him for his whole life.

Kristy, we pay for things like painting, weeding, helping in our businesses, cleaning out the car, mending fences, etc. They sell things on ebay, sometimes they work in friends’ garage sales so they can sell some of their things, our neighbor pays them occasionally to clean out her field or paint her fence. They don’t make a lot of money through us, but it’s enough for them to buy what they need and save a little.

Deb, we all could have done better. It’s a constant process isn’t it? We never get there…we just keep doing the best we can.

Karen, What a great comment. Thanks for giving such wonderful examples of teaching kids about money. If allowances worked for you then that’s great! We each have to figure out what will get our kids from selfish little ones to selfless, godly adults. I love that you all save together as a family for things. Your guys will have an appreciation for money that will bless them when they are adults. Thanks so much for sharing!

That said, we WOULD subtract from allowances for things like: V chose not to do his assigned task, which meant we had to do it. Then, he pays us for it. They could pay each other to do their “chores”, if they choose. Or, we might subtract a bit if they misuse electricity or water by leaving lights on or taking 30 minute showers. Then they are helping to pay the bill. They have to buy most of their own clothes, and they have saved money for video games, mp3s, and spending money for our trip to Disney World. (We saved for that trip for 3 years, as a family. Counting the coins and every little bit helped us appreciate it a lot more!) We buy necessary socks and underwear, and have a cap on things like shoes and sports equipment. A few weeks ago, they needed sneakers. I said, “I’m happy to put $45 toward that pair of shoes.” Without blinking, my oldest gave me the remaining $55 for the $100 Nikes! And when he got his driving permit, he was not allowed behind the wheel until he deposited the $500 insurance deductible into our savings account. If he has an accident and the car needs to be fixed, we’ll be happy to let him drive again when there is another $500 in there. (That idea is straight from Love and Logic. I love it!)

We also have a “buy back box.” If things are left around for too long – shoes in the middle of the floor, a hat on the table – it is put in the box. They have to pay a fee for its return within a specified time frame, or it is given away.

Thank you very much for this post!! I think we’ll have some new things to try in our family.