One thing my parents taught me well is responsibility. I've been working since I was old enough to legally get a job without them having to sign papers saying I could work, and I always make sure that my bills and whatnot are paid. My parents bought all my game systems and whatnot up until the Gamecube, but usually as a "this is a Christmas gift for you
and your brother" kind of thing. The only other thing they would buy if we asked for it would be something "educational," or that contributed to an extra curricular activity that we could afford otherwise (my brother played sports, so they would buy him new equipment when he needed it, etc, and they bought me a few programming books and whatnot when I asked). Beyond that, though, I saved up for everything else that I wanted from a very early age. I saved most of my allowances, money I found on the street, and money my parents would give me for returning bottles and whatnot for damn close to a solid year to buy a Gameboy Color and Pokemon Blue when I was ten.
Handing over a bag full of quarters to pay for Pokemon Blue is still one of the highlights of my childhood.
