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"Dan Tynan is a contributing editor for Family Circle, where he writes about the intersection of parenting and technology. Follow him on Twitter @tynanwrites or at his blog Hopeless Dork.\nAnyone who's ever had kids of a certain age knows what it feels like to have their pockets picked.\n\"Dad, I need $10 for a school field trip. Dad, I need $20 for a haircut. Dad, I owe $30 to the school cafeteria. Dad, I need $50 for clothes.\"\nEven though as adults we live largely on electronic payments, I always like to have a little cash in my pocket. After all those requests, that's all I usually have \u2014 a little cash. Everything else is sucked out out of my wallet and into the kids' hands moments after being disgorged by the ATM. As our children morphed from needy tweens into insatiable teens, I knew this had to stop.\nFirst, let me be clear about something. When it comes to money I am an absolute oaf. I know how to make it, but I have not one clue how to manage it. Fortunately my wife does, or we'd be sleeping in pup tents and busking for spare change. When I say \u201Cwe\u201D, I mostly mean her.\nSEE ALSO: Keeping One Step Ahead of Kids in a Mobile World\n \nWe didn't want our son and daughter growing up to be as clueless as their dad. So we tried various schemes to teach them how to handle money. We gave them $100 a month using a system of envelopes \u2013 $15 in one envelope for haircuts, $20 in another for clothing, $25 for entertainment, $30 for books, etc. \nThat lasted maybe three months. My daughter spent all of her money on candy and toys within the first week. My son hoarded all his money and wouldn't pay for anything. His hair grew long, his clothes got tattered, and he started to look like a street person. \nIt wasn't until they each turned 13 and my wife was able to open student accounts for them at PayPal that we found a system that worked for us. First, though, we established some ground rules. \nThere were certain chores everyone had to perform as a member of the household. The kids had to load or unload the dishwasher, take out the trash, keep our various and sundry pets from starving, and clean up their rooms once an eon. \nBeyond that, though, everything was up for bid. Saturday mornings arrived with an announcement at breakfast: We're offering $20 for anyone who's willing to dust and vacuum the downstairs; better act now, because the price is dropping to $10 tomorrow. We'll pay $30 for someone to mow the lawn and another $10 if they blow off the driveway and sidewalks afterward. The dogs sure could use a bath, we'll pay $5 per pooch. And then they'd compete for the best-paying work.\nSEE ALSO: Don't Fear Your Kids' Technology Use; Embrace it\n \nThe best part of this scheme is that when the job is done, I no longer have to turn my wallet upside down and shake it out onto the floor. Instead, I take out my phone, launch the PayPal app, and text or email them the money.  It shows up in their accounts instantly. \nAnd because the money is sitting in an account attached to a debit card, it's not burning a hole in their pockets. If they want to buy junk food or candy, they have to swipe a card or withdraw cash from an ATM \u2013- an extra little impediment that in many cases is enough to keep them from blowing it all on Doritos and Reese\u2019s Peanut Butter Cups.\nNow that my son is 16 and driving, he's especially motivated to work. Whenever I see that I-need-gas-money look in his eyes, I rub my hands with glee and find something for him to do. As I write this, he's prepping our house for a big paint job that will keep him driving for a few months \u2013- assuming he doesn't blow it all.\n\u201CI can't believe how expensive everything is,\u201D he often moans.\nI tell him it could be a lot worse \u2013- he could have two hungry teenagers to feed, house, and educate. Then he'd what know what real financial pain feels like. But if he ever gets to that point, at least he'll be better equipped to handle it than I was.\nThis post is part of a series on the dilemmas of raising digital kids. We'd like to hear some of the parenting issues technology has raised for you. Please let us know in the comments, or on our Mashable Lifestyle Facebook page. You can also follow and tweet us @mashlifestyle.\nImage courtesy of Flickr,  RachelEllen"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2013/03/29/kids-money/>