Should our children get the same allowance if the older one pays for more things?
Parenting"His money is pocket money. Mine is apparently small-pocket money." My ten-year-old had compared his $5 weekly allowance with his fifteen-year-old brother's $12.
We set the amounts months apart and never explained them together. The older child pays about $4 for bus trips in a typical week and sometimes buys a snack after school. We usually drive the younger child and provide his snacks. I told him that was the difference. Then he pointed out that his brother sometimes walks and keeps the bus money.
My partner wants one equal amount for spending and saving, with transport paid separately. I like the older child practicing decisions within a set amount, but the current arrangement seems to mix independence, expenses and treats without saying which part is which.
Neither child is asking for an expensive purchase right now. They want to know whether the rule is fair. Would you split necessary costs from spending money, keep different amounts but explain the purpose, or let each child propose what an allowance should cover?