After School Special

AUTHOR'S NOTE:  On vacation last week. 

What happens to your child after school?
Most often, it's a loud "I'm home!" followed by a Ho Chi Minh trail of backpacks, shoes, books, and jackets on the way to the refrigerator.
Or, it's off to athletic practice, band practice, or whatever extracurricular activity.
And some punch in.
However, fewer of them are doing it.
If you'll indulge me, allow me to put on my Grumpy Old Man hat for a moment.
In my day, if kids wanted money for this or that, they got an after-school job.
Those who didn't have an after-school job usually got an allowance, and if they wanted to keep it, they were expected to do their share and more around the house in order to earn it.
Now few do that these days.
It seems easier for parents just to hand their kid money arbitrarily.  Thus they don't learn the value of it, thus breeding the founding generation of Future Freeloaders of America.
Coming to a school yearbook near you.
Most parents tell me it costs more money than ever to have a kid.  Especially when they want their kids to have the latest gadgets and fads.
We're confusing want with need here.  Do they really need all that?
The most often-heard excuse I hear is "I want them to concentrate on their schoolwork, not on having to go to work."
Here's my question...if your kid can't balance work and school successfully, do they DESERVE to have everything their peers do?  I think not.
It appalls me when I see parents dishing out more than $10,000 for their kid's first car.
I got my first car when I was 14.  Because my dad told me it would take at least two years for me to get it driveable and street-legal.  If I saved enough, it would be ready in time.
And if not, there was always the bus.
If your son or daughter is hitting you up for more money it seems, then you need to have a sit-down with him or her and discuss your goals.
I said 'your', not 'their'.
What are their 'needs' exactly?  Are we talking about library cards, photocopies, things that are in the interest of a better education?  Or is it that $200 pair of Uggs they can't 'live' without?
What about college?  Make sure they're aware that if they want to move away and live on campus, they'll be expected to contribute towards their 'incidentals'.  If they want extra money, they have to work for it...on weekends, after school and in the summer.
It may sound corny, but a penny saved is still a penny earned.
If you'd rather your child not work outside of your home, make a list of responsibilities they're assigned to do around the house, along with an agreed amount of money.  Whatever they don't complete, 'dock' them accordingly.  Draw up your own contract if you have to.
And make sure they know that it's work first, money later.  The same as in any business.
Because you're in business.
You're in the business of raising a child into a successful adult. 
And it's time we see a better job insofar as a successful business.


NEXT WEEK:  Yes, you CAN have nice things!