Well, I started out with a savings account when I was 13. My parents were on the account with me. Then when I got my first job at 16, I opened a checking account so I could deposit my paychecks and have money to do with as I pleased. I did not need my parents to sign onto that account. The ATM card didn't come until much later, probably when I was 20.

Even when I just had the savings account, my parents never put pressure on me to not to spend it. They just said that whatever money I made with my allowance and doing odd jobs, like mowing lawns and babysitting, I had to put part of it into savings.