Mom Makes 5-Year-Old Daughter Pay Rent…Controversial or Good Business Sense?

Raising kids has never been easy. But doing so in the spotlight of social media makes it even harder—everyone’s so up in your grill, there’s even a new 21st century term for it: “mom shaming”.

When Essence Evans, a young mother in Georgia, posted the following parenting tip on her Facebook, the backlash was swift and sure.

• I MAKE MY 5 YEAR OLD PAY RENT. Every week she gets $7 dollars in allowance. But I explained to her that in the real world most people spend most of their paycheck on bills with little to spend on themselves. So I make her give me $5 dollars back. $1 for rent $1 for water $1 for electricity $1 for cable and $1 for food. The other $2 she gets to save or do what she wants with. Now, what she doesn't know is the $5 is actually going away in her savings account which I will give back to her when she turns 18. So if she decides to move out on her own she will have $3,380 to start off. This strategy not only prepares your child for the real world. But when they see how much real bills are they will appreciate you for giving them a huge discount. SHARE THIS ON YOUR TIMELINE FOR ANOTHER MOTHER TO SEE.

 

Yes, there were some trolls weighing in and shaming Evans, but guess what? The majority of comments were complimentary and sparked some real talk. 

Where do YOU stand on this debate? 

A lot of people said five is too young to be forced to pay rent—even though it’s from her allowance given to her by her parents—and that kids should just be allowed to enjoy childhood for as long as they can. Also, kids already have such heavy schedules with school, sports, activities, and extra-curricular lessons. It seems like just another burden that they have to learn about the adult world when they are so busy as it is.

Others said it’s pretty much the same concept as paying kids to do chores, so that they learn: work = money. Why not teach this to babygirl at five? Not only does it educate her on the value of money, it can help teach her responsibility as well. When it comes to teaching kids how to manage in the real world, it’s never too early to start. Still others pointed out that schools do not teach life skills, so it’s up to the parents. PLUS: The money is being saved for her, and she will get it back when she’s 18.

In fact, there was so much discussion about this hot-button topic, Facebook SHUT DOWN Evans’ page!! Crazy. Here’s what she had to say about that.

What do you think, fam? Let kids be kids, or it’s never too soon to learn about the real world? Weigh in here!