This morning on BBC Radio Wales I gave my opinion on the subject – Should we be charging our children rent?
By children I am talking about older children. Young adults who have come back home from Uni or those who are working.
I was introduced to the cost of living from a young age.
I started to purchase my own beauty/hair products and any food I fancied when I was around 14. I was studying and had a Saturday job.
My parents would never have dreamed of charging rent at this point as I was not bringing in the greatest amount of money.
At 16 I got my first ‘real job’ at David Morgans. The pay was awful. I think it was around £2.20 an hour!!
With my pay so low my parents decided not to charge any rent. Instead I would continue to buy my own beauty products and anything else I wanted, not needed.
This changed when I grew older. I moved out of the family home at a young age so was catapulted into the world of bills, rent and utilities.
Moving home young was hard and I often found myself moving back in with my mum every now and then.
When I did move back I would contribute towards the house. £25-£30 a week was much cheaper than running my own flat!
But would you charge your kids rent or would a small contribution do?
I am sure it would all depend on the family situation. The young adults may be out of work.
Every family is different.
I know a friend who had a rental contract with thier parents and I had other friends who would not pay anything to the cost of living at home!
I truly believe that when the kids have grown up and are working it’s important to discuss helping pay towards the cost of living.
Having a discussion about this opens up conversation about other responsibilities they will have as an adult.
Schools do not teach children enough about the cost of running a home, bills, council tax and other adult responsibilities and it is our job as parents to educate our children about them.
I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below.
