Genius Mom Makes 5-Year-Old Daughter Pay 'Rent'

This mom makes her daughter pay “rent” to teach her the value of money

Do you ever have those moments where you feel like you’re really nailing the parenting thing? Your kids are mostly behaving, they haven’t cut 4 inches off their hair in at least a month, and they actually ate one quarter of what you made them for dinner that night? Without complaining.

Then you read about a mom who has upped the parent game by making her five-year-old pay “rent” and you wonder what in the hell you’ve been doing all these years.

That’s right, folks. Essence Evans shared how she pays her child’s allowance on her Facebook page. “MAKE MY 5 YEAR OLD PAY RENT,” she wrote.

We’re listening.

“Every week she gets $7 dollars in allowance. But I explained to her that in the real world most people spend most of their paycheck on bills with little to spend on themselves. So I make her give me $5 dollars back. $1 for rent $1 for water $1 for electricity $1 for cable and $1 for food. The other $2 she gets to save or do what she wants with.”

Truer words have never been spoken. When you start paying your own bills, you realize just how hard it is to come out ahead. What? I have to pay for water to come out of the faucets? Why in the hell are avocados so expensive? Being an adult is terrible.

So why not teach this to kids at a young age? Not only does it educate them on the value of money, it can help teach them responsibility as well.

And before anyone gets all “let kids be kids, she’s only five, for Pete’s sake,” Evans is setting her daughter up for her future and eventually showing her the value of saving money.

“Now, what she doesn’t know is the $5 is actually going away in her savings account which I will give back to her when she turns 18,” Evans explains. “So if she decides to move out on her own she will have $3,380 to start off. This strategy not only prepares your child for the real world. When they see how much real bills are they will appreciate you for giving them a huge discount,” Evans jokes.

When you think about it, it’s the same concept as making our kids do chores around the house, get a job, or not buying them every single thing they ask for. We want to raise our kids to appreciate things and not be assholes. We want to do everything we can while we have them so they are responsible adults who contribute to society.

When it comes to raising decent kids, it’s never too early to start.