DR. WALLACE: I'm 13 and my parents give me an allowance of seven dollars a week. Well, they might as well not give any money. Of the seven dollars, I must put five dollars in the bank and I must turn in a paper each Saturday at noon listing how I spend every penny to the dollar that I'm allowed to spend. Maybe when they were young you could buy a few things for a few dollars and still have a little left, but in some fast food restaurants I couldn't even buy myself a hamburger unless it was at a special price.
Think about this, please. If I want to buy something for $10, I have to wait over a month to buy it and during that five weeks I can't spend a penny. When I asked why I can't spend more than $2 a week, I'm told that I'm learning the value of money. Well, Dr. Wallace, as you can see, I'm not learning very much. Help! — Moneyless girl, Santa Fe, NM.
MONEYLESS: I'm all in favor of an allowance. When it's supervised properly by the parents, the child learns how to budget, save, and spent wisely. Your parents are a bit rigid with the way they want your allowance to be used, but they may have a learning plan that I'm not familiar with.
It is possible to earn a little money by volunteering to do extra jobs around the house? If the answer is yes, make sure you can earn enough to add a glass of milk or some apple juice when you buy that discount hamburger. But remember, many teens are not fortunate enough to receive any kind of allowance, so it is nice that your parents have one in place for you. As you grow older, perhaps they might let you babysit or find a suitable part time job in your neighborhood that could help you earn a little more to supplement your allowance. Offer to keep track of your "future earnings" down to the penny, too!
DON'T BAN TEENS FROM MALLS
DR. WALLACE: School is almost out for the summer and my friends and I had plans to spend some free time touring the mall. All that has changed because the mall has made a new rule that teens can't come in without the supervision of an adult.
During this year's spring break, a few rowdy gangbangers apparently caused a huge disturbance at our local mall. Even the police had a difficult time restoring the peace. The stores in the mall complex voted to ban un-chaperoned teens from shopping there.
I think this is a stupid rule. Why punish many for the sins of a few? Are the storeowners aware that teens have a lot of purchasing power? Six of my friends and I wrote protest letters to the mall manager, but we didn't receive a reply. This is just another example of teens being harassed for no reason except that they are not yet 18. Hassling teens is a good way to cause us to become militant! — Jennifer, St. Louis, Mo.
JENNIFER: Mall cruising has become a favorite teen pastime and as you mentioned, but most teens that visit the mall behave quite well. I understand the storeowners' concern, as they want their customers to shop in safety. Nothing stops mall traffic faster than public disturbances, and in today's era of prevalent online shopping, some mall shoppers might never come back. Sadly, almost all laws that affect the many are enacted because of the irresponsible behavior of a few.
I'm not in favor of banning un-chaperoned teens from the mall. Increased security may be a better answer. This extra expense could be paid out of the increased revenue the teens would bring in.
Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. E-mail him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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