"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