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iQuestions Faculty, Dr. Kevin Leman 
 
 
Question: 
 
Is giving a child an allowance a good idea? If so, how much allowance 
should I give?  
 
Answer:  
 
Believe it or not, an allowance is your best friend. A lot of parents I 
talk to don’t want to give their kids an allowance. I try to convince 
them, you know, that an allowance is a great way to teach your kids 
about money management. Look at an allowance this way: It’s part of 
the recreational budget of the family; whatever that means. In other 
words, every member of the family gets a little slice of the pie. 
 
You might be brave enough to start a five-year-old, for example, with 
an allowance. So it’s five quarters; whereas a fifteen-year-old might 
get over a hundred dollars a month. Now, some people just fell off 
their chair. “What did you say? A hundred dollars a month for a fifteen 
year-old?” Do you know how much money you spend a month on a 
fifteen-year-old?  
 
What I’m suggesting to you is that there is something very healthy 
about letting a kid, at fifteen or sixteen, learn how to balance their 
budget for the entire month. In other words, think of the money you 
spend on lunches, or activity fees, or whatever. Give them the money! 
Let them control it. 
 
You know, money is mentioned in the Bible; somebody told me once, 
over 109 times. And money is important. We all live in a world that is 
full of money. What I love about money is that it can be used as a 
great teaching tool, for any son or daughter.  
 
 
For example, my son Kevin, he comes to mind; who at this date is 
twenty-eight years of age and a comedy writer. He’s written six books 
and illustrated them as well; with his father. And he’s about as good a 
son as I could possibly ask for. But, one morning as I pulled out of my 
driveway to go to work, I noticed that the garbage wasn’t done. What 
do you do? Let it sit there in Tucson, Arizona and rot for another week 
in our heat? No way. You go up and you lug the garbage down to the 
street. 
 
Well, Kevin at that time; I believe he was sixteen years of age, was 
given an allowance on a monthly basis. Well, I said something to him 
about not taking out the garbage and he apologized and all that. Well, 
about two weeks later, it was his payday. And I was shelling out his 
money in tens and twenties, and he said, “Dad, you’re ten dollars 
short.”  
 
And I said, “Kevin, no, actually you’re ten dollars short.” And he said, 
“What do you mean? You didn’t give me enough money.” I said, 
“Kevin, you’re not a good listener.” And he said, “What are you talking 
about?” I said, “Kevin, the garbage, two Mondays ago.” He said, “Oh, 
yeah, I told you I was sorry about that.” I said, “Yeah, I know, I 
understand that.”  
 
Then his eyes narrowed, and he looked at me and said, “You’re not 
charging me ten dollars because you took the garbage down for me?” I 
said, “Yeah, I am.” To this day he’s still mad about that. He thinks 
that’s the biggest raw deal he ever got in his life. I finally told him, I 
said, “Look at it like this: You hired a guy with a doctorate degree to 
take your garbage out.” 
 
But you know, that’s accountability. And it’s a great teacher, and by 
the way, he never forgot to take the garbage out again. What I’m 
saying is that when the lawn isn’t done or a chore isn’t done around 
Leman -2- 
 
the house, you’re the money manager. Hey, you can tap the kid’s 
allowance. 
 
If little sister cleans big brother’s room; there’s a great example. When 
big brother even finds out little sister was in his room, he’s not going 
to be happy. But when he lost five dollars in the process, I’m telling 
you he’s going to be mighty, mighty unhappy. It’s a great way to say, 
“Hey listen, you know your job;” you post those jobs on the 
refrigerator door; “Tuesday’s and Saturday’s I want your room 
cleaned.”  
 
Hey, I’m just saying that I want to see the floor. I’m not an over-
demanding parent, and you shouldn’t be either. But, I want to see the 
floor on Tuesday’s and Saturday’s. So, your allowance can be your 
child’s best friend and a great teaching tool, for you as a parent. So, 
don’t be afraid to step up to the plate and shell out a few pesos. 
Leman -3- 
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