Alan & Brenda Leonard

> When you control money you "give" your kid, the amount you control is not
> allowance. If there's some left over that the child can spend (or save, or
> give away) at his/her discretion, that amount is the actual allowance.

Ned,

With all due respect, I disagree. Our son has a choice where every cent of
it goes. As you might recall, the 10% to save and 10% to "things bigger
than self" was "OUR deal with him". He was part of that decision, and we
showed him what 10% of his money would look like. Those amounts are
principles my husband and I live by, and Tim, wanting to be like his
parents, like those amounts, too. (The child is 6. He still wants to be
like his parents. It's nice.) Since we as a family believe in supporting
"good" beyond our home, he chooses to whom his church/charity money goes.
And his long-term savings are for *his* expenses; however, putting a set
amount aside each week helps him see how to plan for future needs without
losing a great deal of today's money. It's been impressive to him that so
little money each week (.50 euro cents) turns into a lot in not very long.
(That's a worthwhile lesson, I think, especially considering the number of
folks I know that have absolutely no savings.)

To me, it's about learning to manage money. It's not about my control of
his money, but about his control of his money.

brenda