On Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:03:50 -0000, "Welches"
wrote:

"Ignoramus15568" wrote in message
m...
My son, who is 8, is getting an allowanca and has accumulated some
money.

Now he wants to buy something that is, in my opinion, a complete
ripoff, which is a pack of "Club Penguin Trading cards". He wants me
to buy them online and he would repay me in cash. The deal is $49 for
a pack of 50 cards. (!!!!!!!!!!!)

My first instinct was to just refuse to do so, but now I am having my
doubts. The cards are not really harmful (as would be if he asked me
to buy cocaine for his money, for example), they are just a dumb way
to spend money. But maybe this is his prerogative to do with his money
as he sees fit, as long as no harm is done.

On the other hand, if, say, he would want to participate in some kind
of fraud, like a pyramid scheme, I would be right to refuse. These
cards are just one step away from fraud, so maybe the refusal has
merit.

Thoughts?
Basically it's his own money so I'd say within any limits you've already set
he can spend it. But my initial thought (translating into £) is how much
pocket money does he have? My 9yo would have to be saving up for over 6
months to get that amount.
Me and my husband were discussing last night how our children spend their
money. #1 (age 9) spends very little on herself. She buys things for
friends, presents for family and puts the rest in whichever charity box
she's got at the time. #2 (age 6) tends to spend her money on odd junky
things that give her immediate pleasure but have no lasting value.
Debbie

One of the things a parent hopes to do is install a sense of thrift in
their children. At that age I had an allowance, but it was not really
actually 'my' money. I had to pay my Girl Scout dues, I had money for
my church envelope (amount set in advance), and I had money that I was
expected to save for something in the future. During WWII, I used the
money to buy stamps to put in a book and eventually I would get a
savings bond. If I wanted candy (which I often did), I would
sometimes go without milk or something at lunch so that I would have
money to buy it.

When I was 12, my mother decided that I needed to have a clothing
allowance. The allowance (1951) was $30/month. I was to buy all my
clothes or the materials to make them. My mother made me buy a winter
coat, and two dancing class dresses at the beginning of the year and I
made myself a dress in home ec. But after about 2 years, I had $300
in savings (and no goal for spending it) and no clothes except ones
that my mother could not resist buying me. I hated shopping

(Don't you like this blouse? It is on sale.
It's OK, but I don't like it enough to spend my money)

She tried the same thing with my sister, but my sister continued to be
unable to make up her mind about what she wanted to buy and to second
guess herself about buying it. We are both still the same way. I
don't like to shop and do most of it by catalog or on the Internet.
She had to have a personal shopper help her pick out a mother of the
bride dress for her daughter's wedding because otherwise she wouldn't
be able to decide.

We are both sensible about money in general though so maybe having an
allowance to spend helped.