I'm not sure when you should start trying to teach your kids fiscal responsibility, but in the expectation Elizabeth will be a Congresswoman, Senator or maybe even President - especially given the lack of responsibility those folks are showing these days - Melissa has decided four years old is the right time for Elizabeth to begin to appreciate money and what things cost.
One of the things Melissa has done is to "pay" Elizabeth to clean her room each week. Elizabeth can earn 50 cents a week - payable in two quarters - for keeping her room clean. The reason it is payable in two quarters is Elizabeth knows that quarters are bigger than nickels and if you skip paying her for a week, she won't accept a dollar bill, just give her four quarters.
Last weekend, while we were out shopping at the local Target store, Elizabeth informed us she needed some lip gloss and we should buy if for her. Like most four-year-olds, Elizabeth is very good at TELLING mom and dad to buy her something or get something for her. This trip to Target started in that fashion.
Back to the lip gloss. I told Elizabeth I didn't have any money so I couldn't buy her the necessary lip gloss. She told me she had money and she would be happy to buy the lip gloss. She didn't know what it would cost, but she would be happy to pay. Melissa jumped at this chance to teach Elizabeth a lesson. So off to the dollar clearance section of things just inside the Target they went.
Once they reached the clearance the section, they found the desired lip gloss. The cost was $1. While shopping for the lip gloss, Elizabeth also found a set of flip flops she just had to have - a trait she inherited from her mother. Understand that at four this child has more shoes than I do. Granted, she has no where near as many as her mother, but I digress. Melissa agreed to let her have the flip flops and the lip gloss, but she would have to pay mommy back with money from her piggy bank once we got home. Obviously, Elizabeth was more than willing to agree to these demands.
At the checkout stand, Melissa handed her a $5 bill and she gave her flip flops and lip gloss to the cashier. He dutifully totaled up her bill and told Elizabeth it would be $2.16. She gave him her money and he was kind enough to knock off the extra penny and only charged her $2.15. Elizabeth took the change and quickly gave it to her mother and said "here's what I owe you for the flip flops and lip gloss." Melissa quickly informed Elizabeth this was NOT Elizabeth's money and she would have to pay when we got home.
Upon arrival at home, Melissa sent Elizabeth to her room to get the prized piggy bank. E went to her room and marched back to the kitchen with the purple piggy bank. Melissa went to work immediately trying to get into the piggy bank so she could get the $2.16 cents back from Elizabeth. I had to keep reminding Melissa the bill was only $2.15 since the cashier paid the extra penny. Can you imagine trying to get a penny's worth of interest on a $2.15 purchase??? Melissa couldn't figure out how to open the piggy bank and ultimately ended up breaking the bank. That's right, Melissa broke Elizabeth's piggy bank just to get $2.15 for a pair of flip flops and lip gloss.
And to top it all off, no sooner had Elizabeth paid her mother and put on her flip flops and lip gloss, she began to demand that her mother give the money back. I'll let you guess what happened next.
