Who does this money belong to ?

[BurpeesAreTheWorkOfTheDevil]

You give a child (9) £10 for spending money on school trip.
Child spends £6.

Who does the £4 belong to?

The parent or the child?

I'd let the child have it

My DCs have always given me the change. But then whilst we are not rich a few pounds is not seen as a big deal for them to keep so are lucky if they needed/ wanted the change they could have it if they asked.

Parent! Otherwise that's money I owe the other one as "that's not fair!" Would be all I'd here from dc2.

Someone I know would double whatever they brought home as a disincentive to blow it all on tat
so they have more to spend on local tat instead?

I agree, child!

I'd say the child's unless the parent said 'bring me back the change'. I would let them keep it to encourage them not to splurge money on tat and to save it instead.

Parent, but I would probably let them keep it if they tried to hand it back to me.

Parent.

My DC give me the change back and then I will usually say that they can keep it as a reward for their honesty.

@raysan1
Great life lesson in saving money for something nice rather than frivolities perhaps?
Odd lesson if you take it back... as they'd benefit more by being a spendaholic

Absolutely this!

Surely if you’ve given a child a tenner then you’ve given them a tenner. Don’t really understand why you’d want the change back.

Child unless instructed otherwise from the outset

The child.

Parent. The money was given to spend on the trip. Any not spent on the trip should be returned.

Child

Child and some praise for not spending it all.

Child, my father would always let me keep the change if I offered it back first otherwise he'd ask for the change. I do the same with my kids. "Any change from that day?" "Yes." "Well keep that for something nice."

I’ll bite OP - are you the parent expecting change?

I would have given my dad the change back and he would've taken it. And i think that's right. He would've said,when he gave it though 'this is in case you need it, if you don't need it bring it back'. And bringing it back built up trust between us, that i knew he was kind to give it and cared and wanted me to have a nice time, but also knew that he valued my honesty in giving back what i hadn't used rather than buying for the sake of it... And so the next time, he would give it again. If I'd spent the whole float, every time, there night not have been enough cash for every trip, or all the other treats he gave me, and i think my childish brain understood that, although it was never spelled out.

So not sure i agree with the 'teaches them a terrible lesson' thing.

Child.

You've given them the option to spend the tenner. If they'd spent it, you would've got nothing back anyway, so you can't expect any left over simply because they exercised some self restraint and only spent 6.

The money is the child's.

I’ll bite OP - are you the parent expecting change?

Or the 37yr old teacher annoyed that you have to give mummy her change?

The parent if hard of cash
The child if not

what parent take £4 back from a 9 year old! How mean. Just put it in his piggy bank.

In law (in England) it depends what was agreed. Here is 10, you won't need all that so do give me back the change very different from - I hereby give you £10. The latter means even they didn't spend a penny at the event they could still save the £10 for the future (wise child).

child
@ what lardymclardy said.

Ah

You are being outlawyered by your child. This often happens to me.

I sense a very promising career for your child

NB The child is right

I guess it belongs to the parent if they want it back. I'd think one weird for doing so, though, unless they'd specified when handing it over that they expected change.