PAPER boys and girls are becoming a vanishing breed, forcing deliveries to be cancelled, newsagents said in a story. I read this and thought, I know why.

My daughter, who is almost 13, recently asked me why she couldn't do a paper round. Her argument was that she wants to earn some money in her own right. I have said no.

She argued back that I had done a paper round when I was a teenager and, yes, she was quite right. However, times have changed. There is no way on this earth that I would let my daughter out so early in the morning, or indeed at night, when there is any chance of her being abducted, assaulted, or worse.

At 6.30am, it isn't light, especially with the weather the way it is at the moment. To send a child out in all weathers in the dark is not a good idea, and I would say this applies to both boys and girls. Yes, I know we have to let them go at some point, I have an older daughter of 19, and if I can keep her safe then I will do all in my power to do so.

The article goes on to state, "Children get money too easily these days. They don't seem to need jobs like paper rounds any more. We get them coming in waving fivers at the penny sweet tray".

I pay my daughter £10 per week, which might seems a lot for pocket money, but with that she not only buys sweets but also saves up for anything special she wants and doesn't come to me constantly through the week wanting money for this and that. I also feel that making them responsible for their own money makes them value the importance of it, and learning to budget with what she has got is a valuable skill she can use in later life.

People will probably disagree with me on this one, and remember when we were paper boys and girls on our bikes in all weathers and out at all hours ... but times HAVE changed.

Eileen Smith

Childwall Close

Bolton