My 12-year-old son’s main interest is video gaming. When he wants a game or something that costs real money (not virtual) he waits for a sale and gets it very cheap. I’m glad he’s frugal, but it’s making it hard to motivate him to do extra work around the house because he says he doesn’t need any money besides his allowance. It’s also hard to get him off the computer by offering him paying jobs. Do I need to start offering to get him stuff from the virtual economies of his online games? I really wouldn’t know what I was doing. Plus, I’d be encouraging him to spend even more time gaming.
I agree; you’d be encouraging gaming which I don’t recommend,they are so addictive. It’s good to help him diversify at the same time you support his passion. I’d like you to encourage him not being so frugal, explaining it has its place, however he needs to be generous with himself and others, and he deserves something more for his loyalty to family and chores. Help him also strive for a more expensive motivating reward in exchange for chores and insist “he’s worth it”, so you role model the opposite of always being frugal!
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(Photo: Marcelo Mokrejs)