For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for October 13, 2013

What deformities? Or do you mean if she was disabled?

Michael, she’ll pay you about as much as you pay her for feeding you, housing you, clothing you, picking up after you — and carrying you for nine months and giving birth to you (in other words, NO CHARGE).

I had chores (dishwashing, laundry, vacuuming, which I did with the expected grumbling) and I had an allowance, and I understood that one had nothing to do with the other. Then, in high school, I wanted additional horseback riding lessons, so I proposed to do the grocery shopping and cook dinner in addition to my other chores if I could have the money to pay for the lessons. Since I liked to cook and was horse-crazy, it was a good deal for me, and since both my folks worked, they got a hot meal ready for them at the end of a hard day at work, so it was a good deal for them.

Since I was a single mom of six, and was studying for my university degree via long distance learning, it was impossible to just ‘give’ money to my kids. Since it was a tight budget most of the time, my kids soon learned I’d pay them to do householed chores that really lightened my load. It worked like a charm. Not everyone wanted to work so, those that did, made most of the money.

Michael is showing good signs of ambition.If he ‘s willing to work for his money, as a kid, he’ll probably be ambitious all his life and will always be able to find a job.

I knew that was coming.

When I was a kid we got a regular allowance and regular chores. When we wanted extra money for something we’d ask if there were extra chores we could do to earn it. Most of the time there were so we could augment our allowances.

Growing up in a poor family with 5 brothers and a sister, we all had chores. I noted that each time our parents bought us something we needed such as shoes and clothes, our dinner got smaller. So we never asked for allowances.

“Same thing I get paid, sweetie.”

Room and board…

We had weekly allowances and assigned chores, because in a family with 7 kids and 2 parents, mom didn’t always have time to do everything, especially when she started to work. It taught us that you had to earn your money and how to make some people happy. Maybe he could also learn the value of a dollar while getting “paid”.

he doesn’t have any cents in him

Boy, she sure fell into that trap! I would have seen it coming a mile away. Then slipped him a dollar.

Or, it’s just a comic strip.

What on earth are you talking about? And you know Lynn Johnston personally so that’s how you know all this stuff about her? wow. I am so impressed.

My father gave me 25 cents per week allowance. Mom, unbeknownst to him, gave me $1.00. (I was a teenager starting in 1947, and even then, 25 cents was a little ridiculous.) When he go upset with me about something, he’d make me give the quarter back. I was expected to clean the whole house on Saturdays.

My allowance had everything to do with how many chores I did around the house. Every chore had a price attached to it and at the end of the week I got paid for all that I did. It taught me that my allowance had to be earned — a very good lesson.

what suprises me is that she didn’t see it coming. Baby boy, helping out??!! come on girl.

Give him a big kiss!