Nathan and Ryan received their back-to-school budget.  But first they had to submit a list of the things they were planning on buying.  Their budget, $325 each, is meant for all their clothing needs for the new school year.  Shoes included.

Ryan received his money in cash.  He was so excited to have that much money in cash, he took a picture of it with his phone.  Wait til he sees how much $325 really buys.

Nathan got his money in the form of a check.  He is the proud owner of a brand new checking account with debit card.  So he needs the practice depositing checks and keeping track of his expenses.   Until now, Nathan has spent his entire life dealing with cash.  I am confident that he understands the abstractness of “plastic money”.

At 14 and 16, the boys are old enough to shop on their own now.  They’ve learned how to comparison shop, wait for sales, and shop certain stores.  In fact, Ryan mentioned yesterday that there was no way he was going to shop at the mall because the prices would be too high.

Giving them the freedom to make their own choices shows them that I trust them to make good decisions.  They’ve made enough poor choices in the past to be experienced in this area.  And they love the responsibility that comes with this independence; it makes them feel grown up.

So now that I’ve looked over their list to make sure that they’ve included things like socks, it’s up to them.  They don’t have to spend all the money before school starts.  I told them that waiting to buy a new pair of jeans until the fall may save them some money.  It’s amazing how much teenagers can grow in just a few months.  And if they end up with money left over, it’s theirs.

But that means that until the spring I will not respond to I need a new pair of…  They’re on their own.  And frankly, I don’t think they’d have it any other way.