Like a lot of parenting topics, people have a strong opinion about whether to give or not to give a kid allowance. But one mom has taken the allowance debate to a whole new level by sharing that she actually takes money from what she gives her kid. "I MAKE MY 5 YEAR OLD PAY RENT," Essence Evans declared on Facebook. But don’t freak out, when you hear her reasoning for it, it all makes sense.
"Every week she gets $7 dollars in allowance. But I explained to her that in the real world most people spend most of their paycheck on bills with little to spend on themselves," Evans writes. "So I make her give me $5 dollars back: $1 for rent, $1 for water, $1 for electricity, $1 for cable, and $1 for food."
Evans lets her little girl keep the other $2 to use on whatever she wants. And the $5 she collects isn’t actually going to bills, mom is depositing it into a savings account that she plans to give back to her daughter when she turns 18. “So if she decides to move out on her own she will have $3,380 to start off.” Plus a whole lot of interest added to that!
Evans’s post has gone viral, but not everyone is a fan of her idea. Some critics say kids shouldn’t be made to feel like they have to pay rent for a home they didn’t ask to be born into. Others feel this little girl is too young to understand the lesson. But others applaud Evans for her clever plan that teaches her daughter about money at such a young age.