12 Year Old Money Disagreements
 

Hi.
My son has enough money of his won saved up in his bank account, and he
would like to purchase himself a laptop computer. He is great with
computers, and would like to get a laptop. I would like some advice on
this topic, because I am not sure if I should let him do this. (He
earned the money by putting in his allowance when he was younger, and I
had him do little chores at my office when he was little, and gave him
money for helping.)

12 Year Old Money Disagreements
 

Hi --

I think he should be old enough for a computer. Ask him why he wants a
laptop rather than a desktop? I'd be wary of a 12-year old toting his
computer around!

If you let him have it, you should set up ground rules. Ie, limits on
how much time he can spend on it, limits on how he can use it for
homework, and probably no internet access unless it's actually in front
of you. (In our house, internet access is limited to the kitchen so I
always know what my boys are up to.) The internet is actually a big
topic, but that's for another discussion!

My two cents,
--Beth Kevles

12 Year Old Money Disagreements
 

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi.
My son has enough money of his won saved up in his bank account, and he
would like to purchase himself a laptop computer. He is great with
computers, and would like to get a laptop. I would like some advice on
this topic, because I am not sure if I should let him do this. (He
earned the money by putting in his allowance when he was younger, and I
had him do little chores at my office when he was little, and gave him
money for helping.)

He saved up money for years and wants to spend it on something big that he
enjoys. It sounds okay to me.

What type of things were you thinking he should spend his money on? If you
have other expectations you should probably share those with him.

12 Year Old Money Disagreements
 

12 Year Old Money Disagreements
 

"Dawn" wrote in message
ups.com...

dragonlady wrote:
In article .com,
If it's his money, you need to let him decide how to spend it.

However, you CAN put limits on how he uses it once he has it.

I agree on both counts.

Letting him spend a large chunk of his own earned money on something is
an excellent way to teach him about making big purchases.

It doesn't have to be such a large chunk.

You can get laptop computers for around $750. You can get OpenOffice, which
is a suite of software that includes a text editor, spreadsheet,
presentation software, (think free version of Microsoft Office) at
www.openoffice.org. You can go to libraries and other places where there is
free broadband and download software and stuff, if you don't have broadband
at home. $700 is a lot of money. But it can be an investment. And how much
that really is depends on whether he has $725 or $5000 in his bank account.

The other thing I would definitely not do is allow him to go all out. He can
buy another one with more features for 1/2 the cost in two years. (I am not
joking: I paid about $1800 for this computer 30 months ago. A better
replacement is about $850). But this computer is more than good enough for
me. And as he gets older, if he wants a new computer in two years, let him
work for it. That's what I have to do if I want a new computer.

Jeff

You can
require/help him research options and make choices. Point out to him
he may be able to get more memory/power in a desktop rather than a
laptop. Make sure he has thought through paying for internet access
(are you willing to do that, or will he need to pay) and accessories
(if he wants to be wireless, will he need a wireless card? Will he
need to buy a wireless router?

These decisions are rarely as simple as they seem, and this seems to be
a great opportunity for him to learn about that.

Our son, now 13, got his laptop for Christmas at age 11. It was a gift
for us as much as him -- he was monopolizing our computer. We're glad
he has it, require that he share it with us since we pay for the
internet (for example, we take it on vacation and all of us use it),
and he knows that if he breaks it, there won't be a replacement. I
think on balance he's learned a lot from owning it.

-Dawn
Mom to Henry, 13

12 Year Old Money Disagreements
 

Jeff wrote:
"Dawn" wrote in message
ups.com...
Letting him spend a large chunk of his own earned money on something is
an excellent way to teach him about making big purchases.

It doesn't have to be such a large chunk.

You can get laptop computers for around $750.

LOL, I guess YMMV with regard to what a "large chunk" is. Even in my
adult budget, $750 is a large purchase. It's certainly large in nearly
any 12 year old's budget.

Part of my point, too, is that the cost doesn't end with the computer
purchase. There likely will be additional hardware needed (even if
it's just to facilitate the internet connection) and then the question
of whether and how he'll connect to the internet and who will pay for
that.

I think part of the educational value of allowing the purchase is that
the child will learn that many large purchases require additional
purchases to make them fully functional, and it's important to think
ahead to those additional costs.

-Dawn
Mom to Henry, 13

12 Year Old Money Disagreements
 

"Dawn" wrote in message
ps.com...

Jeff wrote:
"Dawn" wrote in message
ups.com...
Letting him spend a large chunk of his own earned money on something is
an excellent way to teach him about making big purchases.

It doesn't have to be such a large chunk.

You can get laptop computers for around $750.

LOL, I guess YMMV with regard to what a "large chunk" is. Even in my
adult budget, $750 is a large purchase. It's certainly large in nearly
any 12 year old's budget.

I agree completely. But when you consider that the cost of a college
education is over $100k, the $750 is not so much, especially if the kid has
a pretty nice bank account.

Part of my point, too, is that the cost doesn't end with the computer
purchase. There likely will be additional hardware needed (even if
it's just to facilitate the internet connection) and then the question
of whether and how he'll connect to the internet and who will pay for
that.

I think part of the educational value of allowing the purchase is that
the child will learn that many large purchases require additional
purchases to make them fully functional, and it's important to think
ahead to those additional costs.

I agree completely. I would think that a $750 computer would be fully
functional, but there will be additional costs, like ink for the printer,
paper, bland CDs, new games and other software, antivirus software, etc. I
agree that learning about maintance costs is something that is gained from
this sort of purchase.

Jeff

-Dawn
Mom to Henry, 13