At 18, many American young people go off on their own. They go away to college or find full-time jobs, and they often pay for their own apartments. Some get married and start families. This independence（独立) is learned from childhood.
     From an early age, American children learn to do things by themselves. Children as young as 2 begin to put away their toys and dress themselves. At 3, many children do simple chores like setting the table.
     Using money in the right way is also taught early. As soon as a child understands the value of money, he or she receives a weekly allowance. This is used for things the child wants, like toys or treats. The child can spend or save it, usually with little help or advice from parents. If the child wants more money, it must be earned by doing extra chores.
     Children are taught early in life to think for themselves. They are allowed to make some decisions and make mistakes. Failure often teaches more than success.

    Valentine's Day（情人节） is on February 14th every year. On this day, people send valentines to their loved ones. Valentine's Day is a special time to tell how much you care about（在乎） a person.

    Many people send candy in hearted shaped（心形的） boxes to people they love. Flowers are also presents that people send on Valentine's Day. Valentine cards with words are often used（被使用） by many people.

    Can you guess who gets the greatest number of Valentine cards in the USA each year? Is It mother or father, sister or brother? Is it uncle or aunt? Is it the special friend? No, it isn't!

    Mothers get a lot of cards, but school teachers get the most each year. Do you know who sends the most? Children do. Children send five times（倍） as many on February 14th as adults do.

    Mary is having a birthday party. There will be a cake with candles. Some people will bring birthday presents. Let's look at birthdays in some different countries around the world.

    Argentina(阿根廷): Ear pulling. If it is your birthday, they will pull your ear. They will pull your ear one time for each year of your age. If you are 13, they will pull your ear thirteen times.

    Denmark(丹麦): Flag(旗). If it is your birthday in Denmark, a flag will fly outside a window of your home.

    Philippines(菲律宾): Coloured lights. Some people put coloured lights outside their home if someone is having a birthday party.

    Russia: Birthday pies. Many Russian children get a birthday pie, not a birthday cake.

    When it is your birthday, here is a message for you: “Happy Birthday” from all around the world.

    In 2009 a group of parents in Lymington started sharing worries about their children's money-management skills. Pocket money was now stored in a building society rather than a piggy bank (储蓄罐); household shopping was done online; the children rarely saw their parents handling cash. They were spending online, too. Money had become intangible. How, then, were children to learn its value?

The answer they came up with was GoHenry, an app now available in America as well as Britain. It is designed to help young people learn good spending habits through real-world money activities. Parents sign up with their own bank accounts and pay a monthly fee of £2.99 or $3.99 for each child aged six or over. Adults and children download separate versions. Parents can schedule pocket money and set chores. When those are marked as done, the child is paid the agreed amount. Parents can see what the child has bought and where. And they can choose where the card can be used: in shops, online or at ATMs.

Children get cards printed with their name. They can put money in savings pots, view their spending and balances, and set savings targets. "They could decide to save ten dollars for a friend's birthday in four weeks' time, or set a goal at 12 to have $2,000 to buy a car at age 18," says Dean Brauer, one of GoHenry's founders. "The app tells them how much to save each week to meet their goal."

A big benefit of such apps is that they inspire family conversations about money. According to the latest research, more than half of British parents find the subject hard to discuss with their children. And yet most agree that children's attitudes to money are formed in their early years.

Some GoHenry customers are wealthy parents who worry that their children will grow up with little knowledge of money. Others have slim incomes but regard the app as a preparation for their child's future. Some say that they have been in debt and want their children to avoid that mistake when they grow up; others that the app is cost-effective because their children learn to plan spending. Even though young people no longer touch and hold money, they can still be taught to handle it well.