The hope was that these payments would teach children to save rather than spend. But not everyone was a fan of the idea. Sidonie Matsner Gruenberg, an influential writer and educator, argued that some uses of the allowances confused "the give-and-take of family life with the buy-and-sell of the market place"; a 1935 article in Parents' Magazine argued that the payments would turn a child into a "calculating, hard-bargaining adult."
The shift in parental age reflects societal changes, with men increasingly stepping into fatherhood later in life, as seen in figures showing older first-time fathers.
If you know anything about me, I'll celebrate the opening of an envelope. I just feel like that's what life is about. It's about celebrating the wins and the little moments and the big moments and everything in between.