Should I give my children money when I sell their things?

quidsy

I would be extremely wary about giving a child a gift if I knew that their
parents had this attitude. How far would you take it? Lets say that your child
inherits a valuable heirloom from a grandparent - would you view this as a
family asset to be hawked off to the highest bidder if the child doesn't show an
immediate interest? I would expect granny to prefer that the item was kept to
be passed down to further generations.

Now you are treading the realms of pointlessness. The thread is about unwanted toys & games. You really are grasping.

In case you didn't bother to read the op;

As a parent I often sell on games, electronics and toys that the children have stopped using. In particular, after each Christmas I have a cull to make space for all their new stuff. Should I give them the money that I raise or should I keep it?

Jagraf

MSE_Joanne wrote: »

This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks...

As a parent I often sell on games, electronics and toys that the children have stopped using. In particular, after each Christmas I have a cull to make space for all their new stuff. Should I give them the money that I raise or should I keep it?

If you haven’t already, join the forum to reply!

[threadbanner]box[/threadbanner]

Keep it :T

silvercar

A gift/object is only "yours" for as long as you want it, once you have no more interest in it then it becomes family property & is sold or passed on.

When I give my child a game, it belongs to them for ever, to do with what they want. If I sell it, the money is theirs. That is what a "gift" means.

If you give a present with the intention of taking back, then it is a loan not a gift.

quidsy

Have you bothered to read the thread & ALL of the posts or have you just focused on this one single sentence?

onlyroz

Jagraf wrote: »

Why is it ok to give your children's toys to a friend so that your child has no future benefit, but it is wrong to sell your children's toys and use the money for the whole family? Bearing in mind that no-one has ever said they steal the toys, take them while they are still enjoying them, or anything of the kind. It seems that you equate "selling" with "stealing" but its ok to take and then throw away or give away.

If a child's possession is no longer used then the correct approach is to consult with the child over what happens to it next. You can of course make suggestions - maybe there is a younger child who can get some use out of it, or perhaps there is a charity that you'd like to donate it to. Or if it still has monetary value then it can be sold. But the decision should be made by the child as the item belongs to them. I really don't see why you are all having such difficulty with this concept.

onlyroz

silvercar wrote: »

If you give a present with the intention of taking back, then it is a loan not a gift.

Precisely. You wouldn't have thought this was a difficult concept to grasp.

quidsy

You aren't taking it back. The child no longer wants it & you are disposing of it, whether for money or giving away, nothing is being "taken". grasping again.

quidsy

If a child's possession is no longer used then the correct approach is to consult with the child over what happens to it next.

haha. gawd.

onlyroz

quidsy wrote: »

Now you are treading the realms of pointlessness. The thread is about unwanted toys & games. You really are grasping.

The same principle applies, whatever the value of the item. If I give something to a child my intention is for them to take ownership of it, and not their parents. This view that every item in a house belongs to some sort of household collective might be nice in some sort of hippy commune but most people prefer to be treated as individuals with their own tastes, preferences and possessions.

Take the example of the poster who expected to be given back old university text books once their child graduated. What if they decided that they wanted to keep it for future reference, or wanted to pass it on to a fellow student? But no, mummy has predetermined that it must be handed back for the good of the household which they have recently departed.

onlyroz

quidsy wrote: »

haha. gawd.

Why is the idea of giving your child some individual responsibility, and respecting their opinion so hilarious?