Our Reader to Reader Question of the Week:

Dear Readers,
, you told “Carl from Akron” that you would never charge a child of your interest on a loan. Pray tell, why not? Most parents feel that charging their children a modest rate of in-terest on a loan is a generous favor, which indeed it is. Your statement encourages kids to get as much as they can for nothing. You also neglected to take into account that giving an interest-free loan deprives children of the opportunity to tap into their own inge-nuity and learn how to take care of themselves. And, I might add, a modest charge for interest discourages frivolous requests and encour-ages self-reliance and better family relationships. -Been There in Falls Church, Va.