Chores and Money Choices

[vrajewski10513]

I think what a lot of people are still bypassing in the original post is that the OP is taking (and I'm assuming paying for) the kids on a Disney cruise as a family vacation.. The trip to WDW is an extra the kids requested.. I don't see anything wrong with the kids trying to save money to do something they really want. I, however, would probably just foot the bill for the tickets and give them the money they saved to use for extras while they're at the park.. I don't think 4 is too young for them to learn how to save for things they want.

 

[moobar25]

OP- good for you. My almost 2 yo is getting a piggy bank for Christmas b/c she collects any and all change she finds in the house. She may not understand the concept of money fully- but she understands that we use the coins to get stuff at the store...such as candy. My 2yo nephew knows that when we go to the store we have to 'pay' and yells PAY anytime we enter the store.
There are many worse things that kids r exposed to at a young age. Learning to save their own money is not one of them (in my opinion). I'd rather have a kid learn the value of things and the idea of saving for it rather than a kid who just expects things being given to them.

 

[califlorican]

I agree with the last two posts. I don't understand why so many people think it's wrong for the OP to have her kids save- they are the ones who wanted to in the first place. And honestly I think kids know a lot more than we give them credit for. At age 5, my friend's daughter asked her mom to make chocolate covered strawberries so the girl could sell them and put the money towards a Disney trip!

 

[Marionnette]

I agree with the last two posts. I don't understand why so many people think it's wrong for the OP to have her kids save- they are the ones who wanted to in the first place. And honestly I think kids know a lot more than we give them credit for. At age 5, my friend's daughter asked her mom to make chocolate covered strawberries so the girl could sell them and put the money towards a Disney trip!

Did your friend also tell her daughter that she would need to raise enough to cover the cost of her own ticket? And is the 5-year-old child aware of how many chocolate covered strawberries she would need to sell in order to pay for her ticket? Or was she just being a cute kid that knew Mommy and Daddy were saving for a Disney trip and she wanted to help out in her own adorable 5-year-old way?

Like I said before, I'm very much in favor of teaching a child financial responsibility. However, I feel that it is essential to keep the lesson within the scope of learning that is appropriate to the child's age. Year-long savings exercises for the purpose of purchasing an intangible such as park admission is not likely to provide a lesson that will be meaningful to the 4-year-old child.

 

[scdak]

I think the OP has a good idea, saving for a special goal is a good thing, it does teach children the value of money and I hope both kids meet their goal, esp since its their request to go to WDW in addition to a cruise. I have spent time this summer teaching my 5 yr old nephew about money, saving it for special things he wants - more Skylanders which he is fast to tell you are $10 or $15 depending on the size/type. He counts his money every time he is with me to see if he has enough to buy one, he has learned that a quarter in his savings cup is alot better than putting it in a junk machine for a cheap toy that he doesn't need. If he opts to spend some out of his savings cup (it stays in my car so it truly is a cup with a lid in his booster seat cup holder) then he buys what he wants, knowing that he won't meet his goal of another Skylander as quickly as he could if he didn't spend any money that he has saved.

I can honestly say that at the start of the summer he didn't have a clue about money, he is never around anyone that spends money, they all use a debit card for purchases no matter how small! And that is how so many people are today, not saying its a bad thing as such but its not how I choose to pay for things. Thus the reason that he really didn't understand money very well. 6 months later, he is very good with money, can count it up correctly, knows what each coin or bill is worth etc and usually can tell me how much is in his cup at all times, although somehow change when I am out shopping alone just happens to "fall into that cup"

 

[QVCshopper]

I don't know. It seems silly to me. I know the kids are doing "special chores" but it's still the OP's money when you look at it. And what on earth is the 4 (or even 7) year old doing to get paid that much?

Look, my kids are kids. I expect them to do their chores, to help out, etc. I'm just not paying them to do it because it's just expected. If we want to save as a family (as we are doing right now) we discuss eating out less, buying fewer extras, etc. In other words, we save together. They know what a coupon is--they say I'm like Mr. Crap on Spongbob Squarepants because I like to save money so much.

I know the OP meant this as a happy, cute post. It just seems a little pointless in the long run, and way too much for me as the parent to keep track of. And that's coming from someone with three elves!

 

[QVCshopper]

OP- good for you. My almost 2 yo is getting a piggy bank for Christmas b/c she collects any and all change she finds in the house. She may not understand the concept of money fully- but she understands that we use the coins to get stuff at the store...such as candy. My 2yo nephew knows that when we go to the store we have to 'pay' and yells PAY anytime we enter the store.
There are many worse things that kids r exposed to at a young age. Learning to save their own money is not one of them (in my opinion). I'd rather have a kid learn the value of things and the idea of saving for it rather than a kid who just expects things being given to them.

My almost two year old finds money all the time--at the mall, Target, etc. She picks it up and hands it to me. We then put it in her big belly bank at home. She calls it money, but I'm fairly certain she doesn't even know what money means at this point. It's something shiny, and she loves to watch the money roll down into the dino's belly. I tell myself it's good for her fine motor skills if nothing else.

 

[califlorican]

Did your friend also tell her daughter that she would need to raise enough to cover the cost of her own ticket? And is the 5-year-old child aware of how many chocolate covered strawberries she would need to sell in order to pay for her ticket? Or was she just being a cute kid that knew Mommy and Daddy were saving for a Disney trip and she wanted to help out in her own adorable 5-year-old way?

Like I said before, I'm very much in favor of teaching a child financial responsibility. However, I feel that it is essential to keep the lesson within the scope of learning that is appropriate to the child's age. Year-long savings exercises for the purpose of purchasing an intangible such as park admission is not likely to provide a lesson that will be meaningful to the 4-year-old child.

By the time they took the trip, she had over $250 saved from putting all her money in a jar in her house. This was more than a year's time that she did it. She's the one that had been asking for a trip to Disney since she was 4, her parents had not even mentioned saving up for a trip at all. I'm not saying all kids are like that, but some are! The opposite side of the spectrum- The kids I nanny for once asked me if they could buy a $5 movie on pay-per-view that they already owned the DVD of, because it was easier than looking for the DVD and turning it on. Butttt at the same time, they save their money and pool together to buy the Disney Infinity characters for Wii. So I understand both ways of thinking, but I don't think it's an issue if the kids want to do it. If they stop saving for it, fine, then the OP will decide what to do. But otherwise I think it's a great idea!

 

[Peanut Giggleface]

Wow, that's quite the accomplishment for their young ages. You should be proud. I'd encourage them throughout the year by keeping reminders of what they're saving for. Maybe pictures of the park, rides, characters, castle. Stuff like that. Children tend to have a short memory when it comes to money and what they can do with it, so I'd leave lots of reminders around. Give them lots of hugs, kisses and encouragement to keep going.

 

[joviroxx]

Well, I know when my kids were 4 they had absolutely no understanding about money and its worth. They got a quarter and thought they could buy a car. I remember DS going to Target to buy his dad a gift and took out $21 in coins for a $45 gift. No concept...

I guess , at that age, if I wanted to teach them lessons, it would be about appreciating and not always getting what they want. I would have told them that this trip was about a cruise, and maybe we would look at another trip for the parks at another time. Asking a 4 year old to pay her own way seems just odd to me. The concept of rewards was much simpler and not tied to getting paid and saving money in my home.

But then again, maybe that.s just me and my kids weren't as intellectually developed....

 

[sarah4770]

How does a 4 year old, who I am just guessing from the OP's signature, has never been to disney understand that disney is near the port for the cruise? How would it occur to a four year to know to ask to go to disney world?
When my kids were four, they wanted to go to the playground.

 

[sweet maxine]

I rarely post on this board, but this thread got my attention.

I agree with those who have said that it's a little much for the kids to be asked to raise money for their own park tickets. It makes better sense to give them a jar and do little odd *jobs* to fill it up (helping unload dishwasher, carry out trash, keep car clean, etc.). Then they may use that money toward *extras* at WDW---Mickey bar, treat at Goofy's Candy Kitchen, souvenir---those kind of things.

The thing that stands out to me more than anything in the OP's post is that a cruise is the planned family vacation. Was that a decision which was agreed upon by the family, or was that something the OP and husband decided for themselves. Was the option of a trip to WDW offered instead? I'm not sure that a 7 y/o or 4 y/o would choose a cruise over a trip to Disney. Just thinking out loud here....

 

[Suz D]

I rarely post on this board, but this thread got my attention.

I agree with those who have said that it's a little much for the kids to be asked to raise money for their own park tickets. It makes better sense to give them a jar and do little odd *jobs* to fill it up (helping unload dishwasher, carry out trash, keep car clean, etc.). Then they may use that money toward *extras* at WDW---Mickey bar, treat at Goofy's Candy Kitchen, souvenir---those kind of things.

The thing that stands out to me more than anything in the OP's post is that a cruise is the planned family vacation. Was that a decision which was agreed upon by the family, or was that something the OP and husband decided for themselves. Was the option of a trip to WDW offered instead? I'm not sure that a 7 y/o or 4 y/o would choose a cruise over a trip to Disney. Just thinking out loud here....

To clarify, I think the kids came up with the idea of saving money for WDW tickets and that is a LOT to save. The second thing is that we ask our kids for input on vacation destinations but the final decision is ours, especially at that age. Our 18 year old wanted to go on the med cruise. we chose Alaska because it was less expensive. Was she bummed? Yes. will she live with it? yes, and after looking at the possible shore excursions, she is actually really excited. We are paying. We make the final decision. When they are adults, they can choose. At that age our kids would have been 50/50 on a cruise vs WDW!

 

[eliza61]

My almost two year old finds money all the time--at the mall, Target, etc. She picks it up and hands it to me. We then put it in her big belly bank at home. She calls it money, but I'm fairly certain she doesn't even know what money means at this point. It's something shiny, and she loves to watch the money roll down into the dino's belly. I tell myself it's good for her fine motor skills if nothing else.

LOL. The Dis always makes me feel like the absolute worst mother on the planet.
My kids at 3 and 4 had no correlation what soever between the quarter between the coach and the price of a disney ticket.

I loved how my son would want to "buy" me some thing and then hold out his hand with 37cent and a big smile and totally expect to come away with dinner or the gift.

Now my kids as the got older would definitely ask to tack on a wdw vacation but if I told them the price they had to save in a few months, it would not teach them any thing except to be disappointed. A year? maybe?

My problem is what happens if they don't make it? then they don't go, do they spend the so called real "vacation" with the thought in their head, "I wanted to go to disney" or do you cough up the difference (thus negating the so called lesson) on the price and go any way.

I just went on line, a 2 day (and I can't imagine only buying a 1 day park pass, only because by the time you get there, you'd have to leave) base ticket for a kids is ~180 bucks. a 2 day park hopper is ~230.00

 

[cruisecrasher]

To clarify

The kids did come up with the idea of saving for Disney.
We do tell our kids no most of the time when they ask for crazy things or toys or treats before dinner. We thought this could be an opportunity to help them learn to work for their dreams and keep moving forward.
We study geography before we cruise so the kids realize where Florida is and what is there (Disney World) and close by (the Bahamas and by extension Castaway Cay) In addition to being able to point out Grand Cayman, Cozumel and other parts of Mexico and Texas on a map from other travels. (Our son has a thing for geography. His whole room is done in maps.)
They have been to WDW (the eight night on the Disney Magic had a WDW day included as a port of call) and my signature line isn't up to date. Sorry for any confusion!
The kids prefer DCL to WDW (halfway through the first day at WDW they wanted to go back to the Oceaneers Club) and have stated they prefer the
ships.

On My DD4
1) she's almost five
2) she's able to easily count well above a hundred and do basic addition and subtraction and read and write letters to her grandparents .(I know this isn't normal, but that's who she is. My son is entirely different and never would have had the understanding for any of this at 4)
3) has and does chores daily that aren't for money
4) routinely understands things that are more than a year out. Last year on her birthday she told all her friends (who were discussing what they wanted to do for their fifth birthdays) that she'd be on a DCL vacation for hers. That's coming up next month. She doesn't get anxious or impatient or burned out by knowing that there are things out there to look forward to. That's just her. She can also tell you about instances all the way back to when she was a year and a half old. She also knows that she needs to wait until she's seven to audition for her ballet school's annual Nutcracker and at least 11 to wear pointe shoes. That's because she asked when our next trip was, when she would be able to try out for Nutcracker and when she can wear pointe shoes.

Based on their limited experience, they decided they want one day at HS and one at MK. We said we would love to do WDW, but it costs too much with a cruise too. They asked how much and we talked about how we'd need a place to stay and food and park tickets for a WDW trip. They seized on the idea of tickets (they understand that as it relates to movie tickets and RenFest tickets)
That is how they arrived at the idea of buying their own tickets.
I wasn't suggesting that this was right or appropriate for any other family.
I wasn't suggesting it for others.


I really just meant this to be a fun cute story about how my kids are growing up loving Disney and how they've already started understanding saving for it.

 

[cruisecrasher]

As for what they'd have to save for their ticket-

One child ticket to MVMCP for the evening before the cruise- $57
(My DS is already passed this in his Disney savings and my DD will easily make this by next Thanksgiving. If the price adjusts up, I would, naturally pay the difference.)
One child one day ticket MK-$89
(Pretty sure they'll each easily hit this and be thrilled that they paid for it all by themselves.)
One child two day ticket (not park hopper) -$172
(I believe this is achievable, based on my kids and what they've earned in the past).
Ticket prices from-
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/tickets.htm

I don't charge my kids tax and I do purchase tickets ahead of time.
Adding "only" one day or just MVMCP can make sense when you have to fly into Orlando to cruise the next day. It's standard to fly in a day early just in ca and stay the evening before the cruise in a hotel in Orlando, for those who aren't familiar with cruising.

 

[sunnyday123]

.

Based on their limited experience, they decided they want one day at HS and one at MK. We said we would love to do WDW, but it costs too much with a cruise too. They asked how much and we talked about how we'd need a place to stay and food and park tickets for a WDW trip. They seized on the idea of tickets (they understand that as it relates to movie tickets and RenFest tickets)
That is how they arrived at the idea of buying their own tickets.
I wasn't suggesting that this was right or appropriate for any other family.
I wasn't suggesting it for others.


I really just meant this to be a fun cute story about how my kids are growing up loving Disney and how they've already started understanding saving for it.

It's too expensive, yet you're giving the kids the money they've earned??

I think it's really super awesome you're willing to cover their "room and food" since they're all of 4 and 7.....

 

[Marionnette]

LOL. The Dis always makes me feel like the absolute worst mother on the planet.
My kids at 3 and 4 had no correlation what soever between the quarter between the coach and the price of a disney ticket.

I loved how my son would want to "buy" me some thing and then hold out his hand with 37cent and a big smile and totally expect to come away with dinner or the gift.

Now my kids as the got older would definitely ask to tack on a wdw vacation but if I told them the price they had to save in a few months, it would not teach them any thing except to be disappointed. A year? maybe?

My problem is what happens if they don't make it? then they don't go, do they spend the so called real "vacation" with the thought in their head, "I wanted to go to disney" or do you cough up the difference (thus negating the so called lesson) on the price and go any way.

I just went on line, a 2 day (and I can't imagine only buying a 1 day park pass, only because by the time you get there, you'd have to leave) base ticket for a kids is ~180 bucks. a 2 day park hopper is ~230.00

The disboards are populated with parents of mathematical geniuses and wise-beyond-their-years little adults. I am humbled by their achievements as well. I suck as a parent. I paid completely for all of our family vacations until the kids graduated high school.

 

[*pixie*dust*]

Marionette, you made me laugh out loud! I must also suck, because I would never expect my little ones to pay for part of their vacation. No matter how bright a 4 or 7 year old is they don't fully understand the cost of large ticket items such as vacations. If they want to save money for buying toys,etc that's great but putting the burden of financial concerns on little ones is not realistic or healthy. Don't make them be adults before they have to be.

 

[elgerber]

The disboards are populated with parents of mathematical geniuses and wise-beyond-their-years little adults. I am humbled by their achievements as well. I suck as a parent. I paid completely for all of our family vacations until the kids graduated high school.

My son is two years out of high school and he's been to Disney World and Disneyland on my dime since then