But then they might learn how to make a buying decision based on its impact on some long term balance, not just based on "is the money available now: yes/no".

But then they might learn how to make a buying decision based on its impact on some long term balance, not just based on "is the money available now: yes/no". Sounds good, but at the same time they'll miss out on quite a bit of learning that almost everything (that a child might want) can be had if only they beg/negotiate/throw a fit hard enough. Life gives me the impression that in a ruthless-takes-all world the negotiation skills taught by the latter have far more impact than the being reasonable about money skills taught by the former. (sorry for the sarcasm)