Why I Don’t Pay My Daughter for Chores (But I’ll Help Her Build a Business)
There’s a difference between doing what’s expected and creating real value
Most parents pay their kids to clean their room.
Or take out the trash.
Or do their homework.
But I don’t.
Not because I’m against paying kids.
But because I don’t believe in rewarding basic responsibilities.
Cleaning your space?
That’s contribution.
That’s discipline.
That’s being part of a household.
You don’t get paid for doing what’s expected.
You get paid for creating something of value.
A few weeks ago, my daughter said she wanted to start a YouTube channel.
Not just “make videos.”
She wanted to monetize it.
That got my attention.
So we sat down and talked.
I told her:
“If this is a business, we need to treat it like one.”
We talked about:
Who it’s for
What it’s about
Why we create before we publish
And how money shows up after the work is done, not before
I challenged her to film six videos first.
She said yes.
She picked a theme. She got to work.
Here’s what I didn’t do:
I didn’t make it perfect.
I didn’t set up studio lights.
I didn’t mic her.
I didn’t stage anything.
She recorded the first few videos using the front camera on her iPad.
The lighting was rough.
The angle was off.
The sound wasn’t great.
And that was intentional.
Because I wanted her to feel it.
To see what could improve.
To want it to be better and figure out how to make it better.
And that’s exactly what happened.
The evolution became the reward.
She asked for a table.
So we built one together.
She saw my mic and said, “Can I use one too?”
Now I mic her up with a wireless lav.
She asked if we could use a better camera.
Now we do.
Each upgrade came from her noticing what was missing.
Not from me trying to optimize it for her.
Every video shows her evolution.
And she knows it’s hers.
That’s how you build pride that sticks.
I don’t pay her for chores.
But I’ll back her vision all day.
She pitched me.
We agreed on the idea.
Now I’m her first investor.
I’m funding the infrastructure.
She’s building the product.
And when it starts producing value, she owns the outcome.
Because I’m not trying to raise someone who waits for permission.
I’m raising someone who builds.
Your turn:
Did anyone teach you how to create value when you were growing up?
Or did you have to figure it out the hard way?
Reply and tell me or forward this to someone raising a creator.