mamaaj2000

Mikey just turned 4. A couple months ago, I started giving him $5 a
week. (Just because it made the math easy, lol!)

One of my motivations for doing it was that I was going insane with
all the requests for toys. He wants so much. He'll pick up a catalog
and spend hours looking at it, talking to me about what he wants,
asking for it, begging for it, etc. This will go on for a few days,
then settle down.

It hasn't changed that much since he started having his own money.
I'm not sure the amount is a good fit for him. He only saves the
money if we don't go to a store! There's a toy he's wanted for a
couple months, but he never saves up to $15 to get it. He just got a
new Thomas catalog in the mail and is asking for tons of expensive
stuff. He'd have to save for 2-3 months for some of it and that ain't
gonna happen.

I have been spending a lot less on toys, due to some financial
issues, so I'm reluctant to buy some of this expensive stuff. I could
raise his allowance to $7 or even $10, but 1)he might continue to
spend it on whatever is in the store and not be any closer to
the 'big toys' and therefore still be unhappy and 2)I'm not sure it
would be enough to meet his need for shopping and buying. I don't
know how high I'd have to go for that, and I don't know if we can
afford to find out!

Hmmm, I could also match funds if he saves--when you save $10, I'll
add $5...

Any thoughts? I don't think there's one right answer, but I'm
completely confused about what I'm trying to provide for him. I guess
I was hoping that giving him control over a small amount would be
better than not having control over a larger amount. Maybe not...

--aj, off to ebay to see how much cheaper we could get some of
Mikey's current favorites