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Everywhere we look today we can see children exposed to the big government, ask-and-it-shall-be-yours attitude that can encourage a later belief in the nanny state.

Let’s start with a seemingly innocent example that my mother presented: mission trips through church. Most churches offer the opportunity for kids to go on mission trips, whether organized by the church or through other means. However, when it comes to funding these trips, what do kids do? The are encouraged to send letters out to family and friends asking for money. It’s for a good cause right? Sure, but, what does the government do when they decide they want money for a given project? Ask, or more often, take our money to support these causes. By using this funding model we are encouraging a new generation of nanny staters and developing their reliance on others along with their penchant for asking for money. (My parents found a unique way to raise this money through encouraging kids to do yardwork in exchange for donations from families.)

How about the common structure of allowance for children. Most of the kids I grew up with got a certain amount each week before they were old enough to be able to get a job. Even if it was a very small sum, they got the same amount whether their chores where done on time, well, or extremely late. Everything was a game to see how little you could do. Some parents would cut off funding for a complete lack of performance but, it never really rewarded high quality work. Sound like a familiar union attitude to you? This structure only minimally encourages performance and lacks transparency.

What other options do parents have though? They are busy working hard to provide for their families and this is the way it has been done in the past, it’s too much work to bill hourly, check everything, etc. Today, I came across a great option that is easy to use, encourages fiscal responsibility and will bring out the spirit of capitalism in even the youngest workers.

Payjr is an online site that helps kids learn tech skills and encourages a universally applicable work ethic. It keeps everything organized for parents and will, as the site says, “Teach Kids Responsibility”. I would definitely reccomend giving it a try. If you like it, please provide feedback in the comments of this post for other parents.

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