Allowance Helps Children Learn About Money (1/2)

Many children first learn the value of money by receiving an allowance. The purpose is to let children learn from experience at an age when financial mistakes are not very costly.

The amount of money that parents give to their children to spend as they wish differs from family to family. Timing is another consideration. Some children get a weekly allowance. Others get a monthly allowance.

In any case, parents should make clear what, if anything, the child is expected to pay for with the money. At first, young children may spend all of their allowance soon after they receive it. If they do this, they will learn the hard way that spending must be done within a budget. Parents are usually advised not to offer more money until the next allowance.

The object is to show young people that a budget demands choices between spending and saving. Older children may be responsible enough to save money for larger costs, like clothing or electronics.Many people who have written on the subject of allowances say it is not a good idea to pay your child for work around the home. These jobs are a normal part of family life.

参考译文:

许多孩子是在收到零用钱后才第一次认识到钱的价值。给零花钱的目的是让孩子们从花钱的经验中学习，在他们这个年纪，即使用钱失误，代价也不会很大。
 
父母按照自己的意愿给孩子们零花钱的数目各个家庭不同。时间是另外一个需要考虑的。一些孩子每周可以得到零花钱，另一个些孩子则每月收到零花钱。

无论哪种情况，父母应该弄明白，如果孩子们有什么要买的话，他们会用这个钱来买什么。首先，比较小的孩子也许在他们收到钱之后会立即花光。如果他们这么做了，他们需要努力了解花钱是需要做计划的。通常建议父母直到下次给（孩子）零花钱前，不要给再给孩子钱。

其目的是使年轻人明白预算就是需要在花费和节省间作出选择。大一些的孩子可能比较有责任心，会把钱存起来买些大件东西，比如衣服或电器。许多以零用钱为主题的作者说因孩子做家务而给孩子零用钱不是个好做法。这些工作本来就是家庭生活正常的一部分。