Many parents struggle with how and when to teach their kiddos about money. One dad has started teaching his daughter quite early … by asking her to pay rent and utilities at age 6. In a video shared on TikTok, the dad knocked on his daughter’s bedroom door to collect her rent payment at the beginning of the month.
Lots of parents loved the idea, but others were concerned that this kind of lesson about money might force kids to grow up too fast.
The dad’s video showed his 6-year-old daughter paying rent.
On TikTok, the dad, whose name is Michael, wrote, “Yes, my 6-year-old pays rent… and earns her paycheck.” After knocking on his daughter’s door, he said, “Hey honey, I’m here to collect rent.” When his daughter answered the door, he explained how much money she owed.
“So it will be $3 for rent and then $1 for utilities,” the dad told his daughter. His daughter handed the money to him, and he said, “OK, thank you. See you next month!”
‘Yes, we’re serious,’ he said.
The dad explained that after his daughter pays rent, the money goes into the family’s “budget binder.” He clarified that the ritual is “not just about paying rent.” It’s also about “earning and learning.” His daughter has a weekly chore chart that allows her to earn points by completing different household tasks. Once she reaches 25 points, she gets her $5 allowance.
Many people loved the idea.
In the comments, TikTok users praised the dad for teaching his daughter about money at a young age. “Wait i wish my parents did something like this 😭😭😭 financial literacy and comprehension is so important,” one person commented.
Another wrote: “It’s actually smart. She learns young. Knows the value of a $.”
Some people also made jokes about the percentage of her income that she had to spend on rent. “Her paycheck is $5 and $4 goes to bills and rent, the true lesson,” one TikTok user joked.
Someone else concluded: “60% of her income going towards rent. That’s what I call preparing her for the real world.”
But others had questions.
@michael_talksmoney DM me for the Budget Binder, Savings Challenge Binder, and Chore Chart links. I’ll send them right over! She pays rent. She tracks her chores. And yes, we make it fun like a game. She loves it. She’s motivated to do the same tasks she already should be doing, but now there’s a reward tied to it. She’s learning that money is earned, not given. And soon, we’ll teach her how to budget, save, and buy the things she wants, if she has the money for it. Because learning to work with money at 6 means she won’t struggle with it at 26. 💸
♬ original sound – Michael -IG michael_talksmoney
Not everyone loved the idea, especially because Michael’s daughter is only 6. One critic wrote: “I understand the paying the kids for doing chores. My Dad did that with me but paying bills is just annoying. Let her enjoy being a kid. She has the rest of her life to pay bills.”
A second person added: “So never a life without worrying about bills? Not even in childhood 😭.”
Others were concerned that she might become even more burned out in the future, given that she’d been paying bills since childhood. “By the time she actually HAS to do this, she will be sooo over it all and will have a weird relationship with money,” a third critic predicted.
However, others disagreed and defended the dad. In response to the critics, a TikTok user said, “People are acting like he’s charging 500 dollars for rent its a small amount in order to teach the kid.”
The dad explained his reasoning in more detail.
In the caption, Michael explained that though his 6-year-old daughter does pay rent and track her chores, it’s like “a game” for her at the same time. “She loves it,” he explained in the caption. “She’s motivated to do the same tasks she already should be doing, but now there’s a reward tied to it.”
He also explained why he thinks his daughter’s rent payments are teaching her an important lesson. “She’s learning that money is earned, not given,” he wrote. “And soon, we’ll teach her how to budget, save, and buy the things she wants, if she has the money for it. Because learning to work with money at 6 means she won’t struggle with it at 26. 💸.”
