Yes, you should. If you are out of school, and gainfully employed, then you should be paying your way. Age doesn't matter. I told my kids they'd better stay in school, because the minute they quit, they would either get a job and pay rent, or leave.

How much you pay is up to your parents, but if it's room and board, I'd say no less than $100 a week. It will teach a child responsibility to carry their own weight. I wish my parents had made me pay rent when I was sponging off of them. When I did get out on my own, I was not very good at handling my money, and ended up in trouble more than once.

It's essential that parents teach children the value of money. Unfortunately, some parents haven't learned that lesson themselves, and would not be good teachers. In that case, a child should use someone else as a role model.

It's true that you may have to do without a lot of partying and fun if you have to pay your way, but this can spur one on to get more education or a better job, or to actually do something with their lives.

It depends on the individual situation and what the parents want. I stayed with my parents after college until I found a job, and they refused to take any money from me. Even now, at 25, if for some reason I needed to stay with my parents, they would not let me pay "rent." In our family, it's just not how we operate; we're there to support each other and help out. I do realize there is a fine balance between that and mooching though. It's up to the parents to set the difference. I've never paid my parents anything for the time I've lived with them, and I am a financially responsible adult.

For me it was not a matter of what age but rather when I got out of school and started working. It's the way my family has always been. My brothers went through the same thing. For them, they paid a set amount a month. For me, it started out that way but then evolved into me paying certain bills ( some utilities) in total and sharing the bills for things like groceries. I actually ended up paying more than if I were paying a set amount.

Our parents take care of us from the time we come into existence. From the time we are in our mother's womb to when we are born and after. I think it is only fair that we contribute to the expenses as soon as we get a job, as soon as we start earning money. We owe our parents a lot and not just in money. Contributing to expenses is just an attempt to pay some of that back. We can never pay our parents back for all that they have given us but it is a start. You start working and making money it's time to start pulling your weight; take some of the pressure off of them.

It also teaches us money management and responsibility from early on which helps us in our life later on.

Not the rent, but you should pay some of the bills, like electricity,
TV, gas, food.

I do not believe rent is the appropriate word. No matter where one lives there are still costs involved. Even if one feels they only sleep in the home, therefore no costs are involved, they might want to think again. Each time one flushes the camode the water company meters the water that goes into it and out of it and a charge is incurred.

I believe the answer to your question is that some amount should be given to whom ever one stays with to assist in defraying costs incurred. Just because someone is allowing one to stay with them does not mean they should take on the burden of all costs incurred.

Giving your parents money for staying with them is not paying them, it is reimbursement for the increased costs of utilities and food your parents have incurred for providing you food and shelter.

The appropriate age for one to assist with living expenses, in my opnion, is 16. By the age of 16 it is possible for one to gain part time employment while attending school and begin to learn the responisbilities an adult faces on a daily basis.

As soon as the child has money coming in, be it wages/salary/whatever, then they should contribute something to the costs of the houshold. They don't have to pay their full share at first, but as the amount of income increases the share can go up.

Its a transitioning phase... and eventually they'll realise that they can move out, and the fact that they'll have to buy food/power/rent won't come as a shock/