Dear Blake,
I have three children, 5, 7, and 9 and I am so frustrated! I spent over $500.00 on toys that they were regularly begging for throughout the year. It’s the first week of January, and most of the toys are broken or have important pieces missing. And every time I see my monthly credit card bill, I know I’ll get even angrier. What do you suggest?
Signed, Vickie
From Baton Rouge, Louisiana
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Dear Vickie,
I hear your and feel your pain, financially. But I don’t think you should be responsible for paying your credit card bills when you have three able-bodied kids in your home. I would have them make good on the debt by working it off. Child labor laws are only for children employed outside the home, but within your own household, you can work those ingrates until they drop. As soon as they walk in the front door from school or preschool, have a time clock for them to punch in. Here are some of the things they can do. With their collective strength, they should easily be able to change a flat tire, or at least wash and wax your car regularly. Kids normally like high places are cool, so forget roof replacement companies! Your kids can be used to repair any roof damage that may have happened over the years. Other chores you should consider assigning them is, vacuuming, cutting the grass, and assuming the oldest can read, give him/her a cookbook as you relax on the couch from a long day at work. My guess is, next Christmas your kids will be so terrified of damaging their toys, that they might be too scared to even unwrap them. If that were to happen, when they went to sleep, you should break the toys yourself, blame them, and then put their noses back to the grindstone. I hope this helps.
Blake