Making DS do chores to earn money for his school trips?

[Vagaceratops]

DS is in year 7 and has 2 school trips before the summer - one to France which is £220 and an PGL type thing which is £105. He also has a scout camp coming up which will cost £75

I have suggested that DS could help me around the house to earn money to put towards the trip. DH's suggestion is that he uses his pocket money/birthday money for it, but he has been saving for a long time for a Wii U.

MIL thinks that we are being mean to suggest he has to work for the trips, but we feel that its a good time to teach him that things need to be earnt. Also, I am not going to send him up the chimneys, it will be things like mowing the lawn, putting the bin out etc.

AIBU

You know you're not BU, surely.

Yanbu it will be good for him to earn the money for his trips. Will he moan about it? I think he should keep his pocket/birthday money which teaches him the good thing about saving.

I dont think that I am, but MIL is of the school that parents must provide for thier children (and when DH was small, that would mean FIL as they are divorced).

These are non essential school trips, ie not on the curriculum. Therefore YANBU. I would feel differently if you were asking him to do the same for school uniform or required books, but if you are trying to teach some responsibility and maturity this is a good way to do it.

YANBU - it's a great way to teach your DS the value of money and work etc - he'll appreciate the trips that much more if he feels he's contributed towards them.

YANBU

DS2 does jobs for pocket money when he's home from school, he would also do jobs to pay for a trip he wanted to go on at school.

YANBU

Birthday money for school trips - thats mean I'm afraid.

Chores to earn towards it is fine

Birthday money no that's a bit mean.

Chores for cash, not sure really as kids should help out anyway without expecting a cash reward. Not sure paying them to help out is driving the right behaviour.

Personally I didn't do this but all of ours got sat jobs on hitting 16.

I wouldn't expect ours to have contributed to school trips tbh and he's 7!!

I get my 4 year old to do little jobs to save for spending money for trips. Obviously he doesn't properly understand the value but he is starting to understand why he can't have everything in the shop!

I don't think it's at all mean to use part of his savings for trips, providing he agrees with it (otherwise it's just taking his money). NONE of these trips are compulsory - that's what savings are for. And while I take thebody's point about helping out, I'd say he could earn for doing extra chores, rather than the 'everyday' stuff like clearing tables and picking up dirty washing.

But then, from the moment I got a Saturday job I had to pay digs and buy my own clothes so maybe I had it tight

Thebody he is yr 7 which is 11/12 yr olds.

I don't expect to pay my DC for doing chores in the house as that's just part of family life, but I guess things like washing my car or something out of the usual would get paid for.

I wouldn't expect them to pay towards trips but that doesn't mean I think you are BU for doing so.

I don't agree.
I think DCs should do chores as part of the family all helping out, not for payment.
I pay for any school trip they want to go on and they have had fantastic experiences they would not get on family holidays.

Oh I think that's a but mean. Please don't let him use his birthday money.

Chores and learning life skills and helping around the house I agree with, and agree if you want to use that as pocket money initiative then I think that's ok.

But school trips aren't essential. You either can afford them or you can't.making him work for them is a bit mean