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Show SUCCESSFUL PARENTHOOD By MRS. CATHERINE C EDWARDS Aiaoclate Editor. Parwfi Kagnrln HVK LESSONS IN SPENDING MONEY With budgets and good resolutions resolu-tions about (staying within them hclng pondered in most families these daya, I'd like to review the subject of allowances for children. Most of uh will agree that giving a child a stated amount to spend Is a step In advance of the old-fashioned old-fashioned method of handing out money after a bout of coaxing on the child's part. The child who finds that his soft-hearted parent will give him extra money for an unexpected ball game on Saturday won't worry wor-ry much about curtailing his appetite ap-petite for candy on Monday In order to save for week-end treats. The time to begin an allowance Is when your child first shows an Interest in money. For just as a child needs pencils and paper In order to learn to write, he needs money with which to learn to spend. Now, what are the Important things to know about spending? First, that you can't spend the same money twice when it's gone It's gone. The next step in acquiring sense about mouey Is to learn to subtract what you spend from what you started out with. Many of us never learn that and continue throughout life to swear we've been robbed when we break a ten-dollar bill In the morning and come home broke at the end of the day. The child of five with his five or ten cents a week can learn to make change, to understand why, when he gives the storekeeper one piece of money, he Is apt to receive re-ceive several pieces back but that they won't buy as much as the original ori-ginal piece. The third lesson in spending Is that some things give far more value (to the child, value means pleasure) than others, and that since your money won't buy everything you'd better use it for the most rewarding expenditures. Fourth, that if you haven't enough money this week to buy something you very much want, by saving part of your allowance for several weeks you can have It eventually. Like the little boy who was chided for poring over catalogues cata-logues and replied: "But Mother, I'm so happy when I'm wanting!" This fun of looking forward to a treat is the bait for teaching beginners be-ginners to save, since saving in the abstract sense of thrift has no meaning for a small child. By the tfme he is eight or nine, however, how-ever, the savings bank should be definitely a part of his experience. exper-ience. Fifth, that money brings responsibilities res-ponsibilities and that with an increased in-creased allowance mbre is expected expect-ed of you. Thes-e are the fundamental funda-mental lessons allowances can teach. |