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Giving children and adolescents pocket money is common throughout

the world

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this practice and give

your own opinion.

In many countries, parents often provide their children with an allowance.

Although this custom can be problematic in some cases, I believe that the
potential bene ts of nancial maturity outweigh these drawbacks.

To begin with the challenges, the most worrying aspect of giving children
pocket money is that it can engender a sense of entitlement. In other words, it
may cause them to believe they deserve nancial rewards without effort. For
instance, a child who receives money on an unquali ed basis might become
a spoilt and dependent adolescent. Another concern is that an allowance can
prevent children from developing scal responsibility. Consequently, they
could grow up to become nancially unstable adults because they would have
become used to receiving money regardless of their efforts.

However, these negatives can be outweighed by the positives of pocket

money, so long as appropriate conditions are put in place. Firstly, requiring
children to work for their allowance, such as through household chores,
should encourage them to appreciate the value of money. This is because
they will be less likely to squander their allowance after having worked hard to
earn it. Secondly, children who are nancially rewarded for their efforts can
develop new skills related to money management. If, in contrast, a teenager
is never given pocket money, their ability to manage their nances in
adulthood might be compromised by their inexperience in such matters.

In conclusion, despite the entitlement and irresponsibleness which an

unconditional allowance might bring about in young people, my view is that
pocket money with boundaries can promote economic responsibility.

The IELTS Teacher 2020

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