2020 年 9 月真题（第二套） Paying Allowances for Completing Chores 为完成家务而给孩子零花钱，这样好吗？

The practice of paying children an allowance became popular in America about 100 years ago.

Nowadays, American kids on average receive about $800 per year in allowance.

But the vast majority of American parents who pay allowance tie it to the completion of housework.

Although many parents believe that paying an allowance for completing chores benefits their children, a range of experts expressed concern that tying allowance very closely to chores may not be ideal.

In fact, the way chores work in many households worldwide points to another way.

Suniya Luthar, a psychologist, is against paying kids for chores.

Luthar is not opposed to giving allowances, but she thinks it's important to establish that chores are done not because they will lead to payment, but because they keep the household running.

Luthar's suggested approach to allowance is compatible with that of writer Ron Lieber, who advises that allowances be used as a means of showing children how to save, give, and spend on things they care about.

"Kids should do chores," he writes, "for the same reason adults do, because the chores need to be done, and not with the expectation of compensation."

The argument has its critics, but considering the way chores are undertaken around the world may change people's thinking.