To pay or not to pay is the question. Make sure you take the poll up above because we want to know your answer! Now before we share some viewpoints on how some feel about either or, some say that adults who enter the workforce get paid for their work, so why should kids be the exception? Then, on the flipside, some feel that they are doing what they’re SUPPOSED to be doing. I was raised by my Grandmother and she absolutely did not pay me to do chores. She said to me, “What are you a maid?! You live here. You do what you’re supposed to do. You’re not getting a reward for that!” Lol. However, that mindset did teach me responsibility and to take care of home the way it should be! There’s no real right answer to the question of whether doing chores should be tied to a monetary reward. So let’s briefly break down each side and see what you think.
Kids Should Most Definitely Get Paid.
- Kids should get paid to do chores because it teaches them responsibility and how to handle money. Teaching children responsibility is a primary task for parents. Age appropriate weekly chores, whether it’s taking out the garbage, doing the dishes, folding clean laundry, walking the dog, or light yard work, some parents feel can help a child develop character. Paying them for their contributions also helps them to develop a respect for earning money.
- Paying children for their chores can teach them the concept of work. You can show your children that things in the house aren’t just paid for magically from the sky. Someone has to pay for them somehow. Some feel that this method prepares children for adulthood and will get them in the habit of doing chores consistently.
- They can learn to save money. Rather than just buying the new toy they want, or clothing item they see, some parents prefer to have their children earn the money through chores to get it themselves. They will learn the value of a dollar.
- It will simply be easier to get your children to do chores. Many of us have a child that’s hard to get them to listen. So adding money may get them to bend a little and actually do the chores. Naturally, who isn’t motivated to do something when money is involved? Do the chores, get the allowance!
Kids Should NOT Get Paid!
- Some parents feel very strongly about NOT paying their children to do chores. Why should they get paid for something they’re supposed to do?! Some parents already have it rough financially, so the last thing they wanna do after taking care of bills and other household things is pay their kid for something they’re supposed to do. Afterall, they give their children everything for free basically. Food, roof over their head, clothes on their back, they provide well enough!
- Chores and Allowance should be kept separate. A child should know their place within the household, and that place is part of the family! Each person in the family if they live in that household, share in the responsibility in helping the household run efficiently, whether it’s cleaning the bathroom, doing the dishes, laundry, mopping floors, and especially cleaning their own rooms. That teaches them responsibility of taking care of their own selves rather than giving them money, as well as taking care of others around them.
- They will try to get out of doing their chores by foregoing money. Money should be separate because they may start to feel that the only reason they are doing chores is to receive a financial gain. When it comes time to do their chores, they may say, “I have enough money, I don’t need to do these chores,” rather than contributing regardless being that they live there! This can affect their adult life because when they are in a household of their own, they will be in the habit of thinking that everything they do is merit for some sort of gain for themselves.
- That Sense of Entitlement. According to Family Finance Expert Andrew Daniels, if you pay kids for chores, “they may become overly dependent or entitled.” To me, entitled children are parents biggest enemies! So when you want them to actually do something around the house, they are not going to do it unless you offer them some type of compensation! They will carry that into different areas of adulthood as well. We actually know someone like this and they are a grown adult! They will not do anything for anyone unless they KNOW they will be compensated and it’s honestly not a flattering trait to have!
Overall, many people feel that children who are apart of the family and live in the household should help out around the house because it’s the right thing to do, not because they make money off of it. If you wanna pay your children to do extra work around the house, to each his own. At the end of the day, you should implement whatever family strategies you feel work best for your family, and what everyone else does is their business. So what do you guys think…to pay or not to pay?
jk bloom says
I agree that chores and allowance should be kept separately. They might learn responsibility if they are paid but they can also decided that they don’t need or want the money and so they don’t need to do chores.
amberl.hurley says
Yes I agree. Thank you for reading!
Amber Myers says
I think so! I do pay mine. And I got paid too. I have some friends who are against paying their kids, and that’s fine too.
I should probably have my kids do more chores though. I tend to do most of them since I work from home.
amberl.hurley says
Thank you for your input and thanks for reading!
Jen says
I’d lean towards not paying them to do chores. I really thing chores and allowance should be kept separately. With an allowance, kids can learn to save and be responsible with money as well.
amberl.hurley says
True! Thank you for reading!
Anonymous says
Definitely not pay. I started this “pay “ trend and I can’t tell you how my son would only do chores to come up with the money he needed at the time
amberl.hurley says
Thank you for reading!
Jessica Collazo says
This is a very delicate subject. It can be even a sexist issue. I have to brother. I remember my parents never paying me to do a shore but I remember when they started to pay my two brothers. I remember clear that I went ina “strike” lol. I said I wouldn’t do any shores if I didn’t got paid… So they stopped paying my brothers.
amberl.hurley says
Lol thank you for reading!
Danielle says
Such a great topic!! I have no idea what we are going to do with Ryker yet! But these are all great points!
amberl.hurley says
Thanks for reading girl! We don’t know what we’re going to do either lol
Sarah Althouse says
I like the thought of teaching my kids to be responsible with money but think they should also contribute to teach them to pitch in. good points on both sides!
amberl.hurley says
Thank you for reading!
Nicole Claesen says
Great question!
Things like emptying the dishwasher, cleaning their room, putting away their laundry and bringing the trash cans we do not pay them for. We do, however, have extra things that they can receive compensation like raking leaves, helping to organize the garage, pulling weeds from the garden beds etc..
I think there is a balance that can be reached.
amberl.hurley says
Yes absolutely. Thank you for reading!
Kimberley says
I don’t have any children yet so my opinion may change when I do but for now I don’t think kids should be paid for chores. I agree that allowances and chores should be separate.
amberl.hurley says
Thank you for reading!
Lauren says
I really had to think about whether or not I think kids should get paid for doing chores! I really think that it does teach them responsibility and that hard work pays off when you get that cash, but also being part of the household means helping out. Great thought provoking post!
amberl.hurley says
Thank you for reading!
Joanna says
I don’t agree with children being paid for doing chores. They live in the same house, they should help their parents with chores. An ice cream or a chocolate as a reward is great, but not money.
amberl.hurley says
Lol good point. Thank you for reading!
Tara Pittman says
My kids dont get paid for chores as they are a part of the family. They do get paid when they work for neighbors
amberl.hurley says
I like that! Thank you for reading!
Maria says
Great post. I was definitely raised in a family where being paid for chores is unheard of. You do what you need as part of the family. I’m planning to do the same with my boys. Because if people are to be paid for doing chores around the house, I’ll be first in line. Lol. But I do think getting paid for extra chores that are not typically on their to do list is a great way to teach about earning some extra money and taking on more responsibility.
amberl.hurley says
Hahaha I was raised the same way. Thank you for reading!
Sarah says
I definitely believe children should be paid to do chores. Evidently not an hourly wage, but some sort of reward for their good deeds; as money is an incentive to the soul. I think it would help them grow so when they get older they can appreciate the joys of working. Great blog.
amberl.hurley says
Thank you for reading!
Chelsea Sauve - Wandure says
Interesting exploration of both sides of the argument – I can see merits on both sides. I don’t have children yet, but will keep these in mind once I do.
amberl.hurley says
Thank you for reading!
Connie says
This is a very interesting topic. I can see both sides. My children received an allowance but it wasn’t related to doing chores. They were expected to do their chores since they were a part of our family and lived in the house.
amberl.hurley says
Yes I agree! Thank you for reading!
Cindy says
I don’t think there is anything wrong with giving kids an allowance for doing chores. It teaches them about money and responsibility.
amberl.hurley says
Thank you for reading!
Shruti says
Everything has its own advantages and disadvantages. Providing money for doing work may make your kids do work only because they want the money. On the other hand, it develops a work ethic in them too.
amberl.hurley says
That’s very true, thank you for reading!
remo says
Well, I believe it is No as it should be expected if they live in the household.
amberl.hurley says
Yes, thank you for reading!
berlin says
you were able to present the good points of each options. there are chores i pay my boys especially if those are related to my work like helping me with video production or helping me with Social media syndication.
as per household chores, we give them specific tasks and the pay is good meal for the whole family .
amberl.hurley says
Hahah yup! Thank you for reading!
A Chronic Voice says
Interesting question that I admit I’ve never really thought about as I don’t have kids of my own yet, but I would probably lean towards not paying for the reasons stated above!
amberl.hurley says
Thank you for reading!
Ruth Johnson says
Great read I definitely received an allowance for helping out around the house when I was younger
amberl.hurley says
Thank you for reading!
Amber says
I don’t pay my kids for doing their chores. I pay them for good grades because that is their “job”. I’m not sure there is a right or wrong way to do any of this- everyone has their own parenting plan!
amberl.hurley says
Very true, thank you for reading!
Sophia says
I never got paid as a child. I think it’s nice to teach them how to do acts of kindness and help them becoming willing to help out without financial reward. However, I do see both sides.
Sarah Styf says
Chores that are essential to the function of the household, like dishes and laundry, don’t get paid. However, I will gladly pay my kids to clean the bathrooms or pick up in the backyard.
amberl.hurley says
Yes I agree! Thanks for reading!
Shayna says
I think this is a tricky topic but definitely an interesting discussion. I’m not a huge fan of paying them to do chores because I feel like that will lead them to expect to get paid for everything and possibly have unrealistic expectations. Plus, as a household I think it’s good that everyone chips in.
amberl.hurley says
Yes, I so agree with that!!
Fransic verso says
Paying them is nice idea to get them doing the chores, but would you be able to provide that every time? also, the kid would only do it for the money and not because it should be done.
Kay says
I pay mine for chores….. I probably shouldn’t? But I don’t give them an allowance so they are keen to do the chore to get the money!
Krysten Quiles says
I totally think kids should be paid to do chores for pretty much all the reasons you listed above. Thanks so much for sharing this with us!
Alvern at Success Unscrambled says
In my opinion, I believe kids should get paid to do extra special chores compared to the bog-standard everyday chores that need to be completed around the house. It helps children to get a sense of family when they help out around the house without payment.
Marie Phillips says
I do not pay my kids for daily maintenance chores. We all work together to keep the house running smoothly (well, in a perfect world, lol). But I do pay them to do extra work beyond those chores that keeps our house and yard nice. And they have the option to not do the work if they don’t want to or I can find extra jobs for them if they want more money.
WanderlustBeautyDreams says
Coming from a hispanic household, I never was paid to do chores lol. It was just mandatory before ever making plans to leave the house.
Jackline A says
I agree allowance and chores should be separated. Chores are a must and they are teaching your kids responsibility.
Adriane says
I love your grandma! I’m on the fence of not paid for daily chores but can get paid for extra “hire for help”. I think that teaches them that they have to take care of their house and selves but they can work hard to earn money. EAch of our boys have 2 chores each for the week that they picked. These each have 2 dish days a week and laundry every other weekend. They got to have say in the days and what they do for all of it. Then for extra pay, they can clean out the car, garage, run over to the store that is across the street to buy veggies or fruit I need for dinner! They love that one!
tweenselmom says
I don’t think so. I think they can be awarded love and favors when they do something good but even then, it shouldn’t be always. As parent, I think we should teach them to do good even without anything in return because realistically speaking, we always don’t do something good just to gain favor. We help at home because it’s the right thing to do.
Candace says
I am kind of on both sides. Chores that go above and beyond traditional responsibilities could be paid for, like mowing the lawn or washing the car. However I choose not to pay my kiddos for things like taking out the trash or emptying the dishwasher. You made some really good points for both sides of the argument.
Candace Hampton says
I like this pros and cons list of both! I thought I was a solid “no”, but now I see the other side. Growing up it was expected that I contributed to the house hold, and I thought it was weird that others got this mysterious “allowance”. I just got the things I needed, basically when I needed them and I was fine with that.
Christine says
We definitely plan on not paying our kids to do chores lol. I can see the benefits of it, but overall don’t think they need to feel entitled to money for doing simple everyday tasks as members of the household. We will be encouraging them to help out in extra ways or doing little jobs for neighbors that are willing to pay as they get older though!
Christopher Mitchell says
Yeah, I always grew up just understanding that I had to do certain things around the house, just like my parents, and that was an important lesson!
Christa says
I never paid for chores, but money was always so tight. I think it taught my son a sense of responsibility.
Sundeep says
Teaching children responsibility is a primary task for parents. Kids should get paid for doing chores. And I really thing chores and allowance should be kept separately. This way kids will able learn to save
Lisa @ Midwest Glam says
We pay sometimes, but it really depends on the work he puts out. Hah!
Olufunke says
I don’t believe in paying children to do chores. We certainly don’t around here anyway. We believe it’s a child’s responsibility to do chores around the house. They learn by watching, then you tell them and later they know to do it without telling them or supervision.
Paying a child to do chores, we believe is synonymous to spoiling the child because he can say no to the money and then no chores or only do the chores when he needs the money.
But ultimately, it is whatever works for parents.
Sudipta Dev Chakraborti says
I believe that children should not be paid to do chores … it will set a wrong precedent for them in the future as they will start thinking of everything in terms of monetary rewards.
Rosey says
As a teacher I see parents doing a lot of other things for ‘payment for chores.’ Screen time, or video game time is getting more and more popular.
Laura says
I don’t have any kids, but I think it’s better not to pay kids. It’s normal you help out x
Alexis says
We do not pay for chores as it is part of belonging to a family and caring for the home you live in. Now if I, as the parent don’t have the time to do something that is beyond the scope of normal chores or need my child’s help with something extra I will pay them.
Veronika Sykorova says
Hmm interesting, I think Id go with not paying. Cause then once they have their own household they won’t want to do the chores bcs they wouldn’t get paid.
Rikki Ridgeway says
It’s really up to the parents on how they’d like to come across this when the time comes. My husband and I do not pay our daughter for her weekly chores. We feel that she should do her age-appropriate chores to learn how to be responsible and understand that this is a part of life. We plan to teach her responsibility with money as well, however, at the moment she’s too young for that. A big part of our decision was for our own personal finances, we don’t have a lot of income and we stress getting things paid as is, so instead of an allowance for chores we “donate” to her bank account once a month with what we feel we can afford financially. Some months, we can only provide $5, others we can provide $50. Either way, this is all in a savings account that we can’t draw money out of, we can only add to. I like that, because it’s her money and for a 4-year-old she has a good amount of change in there with our contributions to it, as well as other family members as well. We hope that by teaching her financial responsibility when the time comes for her when she’s older to start using her bank account, she’ll be responsible with her money.
Tia McKinzie says
I’m on the fence about this. Sometimes I was paid to do chores. Sometimes I wasn’t. I see both ends of the spectrum. If I did get paid for a chore it was never much but it did show me if I wanted something I need to work for it. But again we where always required to do chores regardless of if we where being paid for it.
may palacpac says
I am with the group of parents that do not pay their children for chores. Chores are something they will have to do in the future as adults, whether they get paid or not. It’s self-management.
My kids earn money elsewhere. We allow them to have jobs where they can earn money. Two are theatre actors, all three are voice talents for TV and digital ads and AVP’s. And we do teach them to manage their finances through discussions and by making them do the depositing and investing in their mutual funds. We’re blessed they have these opportunities to save for themselves and their future.