 Wouldn't it be fantastic if every idea about something we wanted magically happened? We wouldn't have to do a thing except think: "I want... a swimming pool... an iPod... a new computer..." This is how many kids think. Adults know, however, that simply wishing for something doesn't make it so, and that setting realistic goals sure helps.
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 What is green, rectangular and is one of the best tools parents have to teach responsibility?
The answer may surprise you.
An allowance.
An allowance is a powerful package for teaching kids how to be responsible about earning, saving, sharing, borrowing and, of course, spending-the topic of this month's column.
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 There was a knock at the door. Sixteen-year-old Jill rushed to answer it. "Oh," she said, clearly disappointed. "Mommm ... it's for you!"
When Mom arrived at the door, she saw her neighbor and the familiar donation clipboard in her hand. Mom grabbed her purse and started looking for some money. Not finding anything but loose change, she called to her daughter. "Jill, you just got paid-how about donating some money to the Natural Disaster Relief Fund?"
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 How many adults have heard kids say, "But Mom I really, really want it...", or "I neeeeed this. All my friends have it..." Most kids use those words interchangeably because they haven't experienced the difference between really needing something and only wanting it.
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 "Hey Dad, it's only twenty dollars..." Jack's plaintive pre-teen voice comes from behind the video games display.
Dad responds with a chuckle. "Funny, your mother left video games off this week's shopping list."
Most parents don't have to be in a store with their child very long to hear "Daaadd... look...it's on sale," or, "Just use your credit card, " or, "Why don't you go get more money at the bank, Mommy?" It's no wonder many parents resist going to the store with their children - they can avoid chronic requests for things not on the family shopping list.
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 Imagine you overhear the following conversation at a school fundraiser:
Justin, a father of two teenage girls, says: "I don't give my kids any allowance at all."
"Really?"... Melissa chimes in. "I've been giving my kids an allowance since they were six years old."
"My kids don't get a dime from me until they do all their chores," states Cynthia, mother of three kids.
For generations, in prosperous times and during recessions, allowance has always been a hot topic. Some parents think kids should "earn" an allowance. Others don't. What's the best way to handle allowance? Should it be a gift or a reward?
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