Question: Should a child have an allowance? Response: Proverbs 3:12 says, “…because the LORD disciplines those He loves, as a father the son he delights in.” Don’t teach your children to expect allowances, rather teach them to work and earn money. The term “allowance” implies something is given rather than earned. If God doesn’t provide us with an allowance, and he doesn’t, then we probably should not provide allowances to our children. If you have a child who demonstrates discipline in handling money and you want to hive him or her a gift from time to time, that’s great. Just be certain that you’re establishing long-term values in your children that will guide them when they are adults. The Lord showed my wife and me that we were to make chores a normal part of our family life. We started when our children were 3-4 years old and included fun activities that they were eager to do–help cook for our daughter, help me wash the car and power wash the house for our son, etc. Many times our children displayed great attitudes by “going above and beyond” the chore list–sometimes their reward was a thank you hug as we let them know how important they are and how much they mean to our family. Other times we added a bit of cash to their pocket. You can find a whole world of “helps” in this area on Google.