Is it okay to charge rent for your 16 year old?

ALBANY, NY (NEWS10) – Today’s 98.3 TRY social dilemma came from Sarah, and it’s about rent and kids. Here is the mail.

Hi Jaime. My sister and my friends are giving me a hard time about something I’m doing with my kids, so I wanted to see if you could talk about it. When my children are 16, I demand that they get a part-time job and pay rent for the house. It’s never a lot, but it’s 20% of everything they earn for the month. I think that’s fair. I want them to learn what the real world is like and that there are no free spins. My sister and a few friends say I’m too tough and make them grow up faster than they should but I think at 16 it’s good to learn that you have to pay for the things you want in this world. So I will continue to do that. I just wonder what other people think. Thank you

~Sarah

Well, I’m with Sarah. I paid the rent on my house from the age of 16, and like Sarah, it was never much, but it was something. It taught me right away that anything you want will cost money. And that taught me to save for what I wanted. So I’m with her all the way.

What do you think? Is Sarah going overboard asking for “rent” at 16, or is she teaching her kids how to manage money? Let me know what you think on the TRY Facebook page.