Sometimes I miss getting an allowance

When I was a young child (around 5, or so), I had a My Little Pony piggy bank. I just loved it! I think it was what helped me become a good saver (that, and the good values instilled in me by my parents), because I wanted to see it get full. I got an allowance ($5 a week or so), and I saved up as much as I could. I wanted to get to $100...not sure what I actually wanted to BUY with that money, but I just wanted to get to one hundred dollars. It seemed like a magical number.

And I got there! It took awhile...several one dollar bills, 5 dollar bills, and coins, but I eventually saved up a hundred bucks. And my piggy bank was heavy, and full, and I was just so excited.

My parents were proud of me for saving so much. And my dad exchanged my hard-earned cash for a hundred dollar bill. And I guess I was happy...but it just wasn't the same. I couldn't see all that I had saved in that one bill. It wasn't heavy like the small bills that had previously filled my piggy bank. But I guess it was still good. I must've spent it, because I no longer have that hundred dollar bill.

But I no longer have that My Little Pony piggy bank. Instead, I have a checking account in a real bank. And I no longer get an allowance...pretty sure that stopped around the time I started baby-sitting for money, when I was around 10 or so.

I asked Stephanie today if she had decided on a place to move. She told me that she wanted to wait until her mom came to visit, so she could help her look at some places. Seems like a good idea.

Stephanie: "Yeah, I'm hoping if my mom comes and looks at places with me, she'll get excited and offer to pay."

Me: "Well that sure would be nice of her."

Stephanie: "Yeah, they've been pretty supportive of me since I quit my job and want to try and start my own law practice."

(side note: that was over 6 months ago...pretty sure I haven't seen her take one step to try and open her own law practice. Especially because she told me that she's so good at being unemployed...but that's another story that will be told another time)

Me: "Well that's cool."

Stephanie: "Yeah, they still give me a weekly allowance."

Um....what?!?! Isn't allowance supposed to help kids learn how to handle and save money? And doesn't it stop once you get a REAL job and start earning REAL income? Even if that job is just being a cashier at a grocery store (did that), it still provides some money to help kids start to wean themselves off of their parents.

I guess that doesn't happen in Stephanie's world. But perhaps she doesn't live in the REAL world, seeing as she doesn't have a REAL job at the moment.