Should Pocket Money be Given to Children?

Do you give your child pocket money or like other parents are you also confused? Pocket money has always been a major concern for most parents. Most families have a heated argument between parents and children for the same. Kids are keen to get money and wish to spend them on their own accord but on the contrary, parents are anxious and have their own set of doubts.

Most Indian parents think their kids are too small to deal with money. They are not only doubtful that their kids might get into the wrong company but think they may also misuse money and lead to self-harm. As each coin has 2 sides, similar is the case with this situation. Therefore, we cannot jump to a conclusion about whether pocket money should be given or not.

Advantages of giving pocket money:

Offering pocket money to children can be an excellent method to instill financial responsibility in them. It enables them to practise spending and saving as well as learn more about money management in general. According to our findings, the majority of German households regularly give their children pocket money. According to respondents, 71% of children aged 4 to 6 receive pocket money, rising to 95% for those aged 10 to 12. Only 13% of children aged 4 to 18 receive no personal money at all.

Be independent:

The most important benefit of giving pocket money is teaching kids to be independent and that’s the key to success in today’s time. When parents allow them to play with money, kids feel connected and they think their parents trust them. When they have money, they develop the ability to manage and learn its importance. Most parents feel that they might misuse the money given to them but unless you trust them and let them contribute to their expenses, they will never learn the difference between ‘use’ and ‘misuse’ of money.

Though there are some notorious kids and the best way to deal with them is to ask for the record of every single penny at the end of a week or a month. It works two in one. They will not only learn to use money wisely but this will also make them vigilant and smart to spend efficiently because, in the end, they know they have to submit the report to their parents.

Teaching kids the lesson and the importance of saving money:

What generally happens with most Indian kids is that by the time they reach adolescence they neither have much knowledge nor experience in dealing with money. This makes it difficult and they sometimes become a target of fraud. The reason being that they lack confidence and experience. The prime role which lies in parents’ part is not only to teach them the right use of money but also instil in them the value of savings. Complete your sentences by the use of suitable examples.

For instance, give them a real-life example of a person who resolved his problem because he had some savings with him. When you give them their fixed pocket money, ask them to keep some part of it in ‘Piggybank’. Start with a small penny and gradually increase the amount. Sit with them and help them draft their monthly expenditure chart. This way they will learn the efficient use of money. Let them plan the expenditure chart and try to mend it as well as teach them to save. For example, ask them to prefer Rs. 10 candy instead of Rs. 15, and see how happy they become to get Rs. 5 extra.

Teaching kids about the Value of Money:

Sometimes in the initial stage kids tend to spend more money on useless things. Let them do, be it partying, food, movies, stationery, or other things. In some time, they will realise they have no money to spend towards the end of the month on essential goods. Then let them figure out the flaws in their expenditure and mend them the next time. In this way, they will learn to value money. Let them take part in discussions for the monthly budget. Give them a game to save let’s say Rs. 200 in a particular month and appreciate their inputs as well. Tell them the things that are useful to purchase and what all to avoid. Sometimes take them for shopping as well. Give them a list of items and ask to manage the entire purchase within the money constraint. The best way to inculcate in them the value of money is to take their active participation and welcome their suggestions. The other way can be to ask them to save their pocket money to help the needy. Give them a time span of some months and use all their savings to buy gifts and clothes for the poor. This will encourage them to keep a portion of their pocket money as savings. In total, 89% of those polled say they have a strict pocket money schedule, with 36% providing their children money weekly and 53% giving them money monthly. In contrast, we discovered that some parents opt to choose when their children receive money:

11% of parents report that their children receive money when they need it, but not on a daily basis.

18% of parents give their children pocket money depending on their behaviour.

However, some families who adhere to a set timetable or amount say they are open to changes. 27% said they would reconsider the amount of pocket money they give their children based on the circumstances, such as special events, trips, and so on.

But yes, we cannot neglect the drawbacks of giving pocket money to kids. Have a look at them too.

Teaching kids about money management and how to invest pocket Money: 

With money in their pocket, kids sometimes become callous with money. They start showing off this to their friends. Sometimes they might even get influenced by others and start comparing the amount of pocket money they and their friends receive. This sometimes hurt their ego and they start demanding for more pocket money from parents. They start speaking lies to get an increment in their pocket money. If this wish is left unfulfilled, in some worst cases, kids even go-ahead to steal money.

They don’t even realize what is wrong or right for them. Influence is a strong weapon, the only way to help your kids stay away from this is “awareness”. Before handing over money teach them values, once they become wise and sensible, there is no scope of such incidents to take place in the future. Tell them to stay cautious from all frauds or negative influence, by sharing real-life experiences.

Teaching kids about the spending of money :  

With money by their side kids instil a sense of superiority and start targeting their subordinates or kids with lesser money to spend. They make fun of others and use bad languages against them. When children get too much freedom to spend money, they stop using their brains and spend money lavishly. Sometimes they even get fantasized about wrong habits. The presence of money tempts them to indulge in certain time-wasting habits be it, chilling in canteens, going out for movies, or addiction to junk food, smoking, drinking, or even gambling. All these are signs of kids developing bad habits. When not checked upon, these practices can turn worse, eventually, landing kids in a position where realizing the truth becomes difficult. This affects both physically and mentally. Excess addiction to junk food deteriorates health on a large scale leading to certain diseases. Kids start prioritizing money over other things and demand more money for expenditure. This has an adverse effect on studies as well.

Keep all these points in mind when you hand over money to your kids. There is as such no harm in giving pocket money but parents need to be extra cautious about when, how, and why to give money. A parent’s job is not limited to providing pocket money. They have to have a check on a timely basis and should stipulate the record of each penny given to them. This will make kids less liable to get inclined towards faux pas.