My 15-year-old is always asking for cash for streaming subscriptions, games, and going out with friends. I've tried giving an allowance but it's never enough. How do other parents manage this without just saying no to everything?
Is the allowance you're giving actually tied to anything, or is it just a fixed amount they get no matter what?
The thing is, most parents find that a straight allowance without conditions attached doesn't really teach much. You've probably noticed it just becomes "baseline expectation" and everything else is still your problem. What tends to work better is splitting things up: give them a modest allowance for actual essentials or whatever you decide is reasonable, then make it clear that anything beyond that - the extra subscriptions, going out money, whatever - that's on them. Some families let their kids do extra chores to earn more, others set it up so teens can do odd jobs in the neighborhood or something. The point is they start connecting money to effort instead of just asking you.
For the subscriptions specifically, you could also have them pick like one or two and they pay the difference if they want more. So if you're cool with covering one streaming service, they handle the rest. With going out, a lot of parents give them a set "hangout budget" per month and once it's gone, it's gone - no loans, no advances. It sounds harsh but honestly it stops the constant asking pretty quick. They start thinking about whether they actually want to spend 15 bucks on something or save it for something better. The mental shift matters more than the money itself.
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