Question
My son is nine years old and every year, for his birthday (and sometimes other special occasions), he receives large quantities of money. For example, he received about $250 for his birthday last month in cash and gift cards. I hold on to his money so that he won't lose it, but he immediately wants to spend it all. At my parents' request, I bought him clothes with the money they sent him (which he really needed), but he wasn't happy about that, although he accepted that that was what they intended. He claims the money given to him is "his" money and he should be able to spend it however he wants. He doesn't spend it all at once, so he asks me to take him to a particular store every few days to spend more of it and he gets upset when I refuse. He has so many toys and other junk already that I don't like that he just adds to things he's going to lose interest in very quickly. What is the best way to handle this? Thank you!
