by Amanda van der Gulik
YES! It's finally happened!
My son has finally, truly learned the value of money.
The other weekend my son had a friend for a sleepover, we decided to make it a really fun weekend for all. We had chips, popcorn, popsicles and ice cream sandwiches and at one point I even let the two boys walk over to the local variety store to buy some more candy. Since we obviously did not have enough junk food yet! ;)
My son has learned over the years that if he wants to buy something, then he must use his own money, and NOT ask Mommy or Daddy for money! We are not his personal bank machines! Period.
So with that in mind, he offered to buy his friend, and himself of course, some goodies from the store down the road. Just being allowed to walk there on his own is already a big special occasion. Mommy's a little overprotective, it may seem. ;)
So off they went to the store, and back they came 15 minutes later with goodies in hand. The first thing my son did is surprise me with a treat of my own. There is one particular candy that I really enjoy, and he decided to get me some. (It was right before Mother's Day, so not sure if that was supposed to be my Mother's Day gift or not, but hey, I was happy and impressed non-the-less). :D
The part that made me really happy came actually after the sleep-over was long gone. What happened right after my son gave me the goodies was that his friend said casually to me, "What a great deal, all 3 goodies (his, my son's and mine) for only 15 bucks!" ....and he actually meant it.
I was shocked! It really made me realize how lucky I am with my own two kiddos and their knowledge and understanding of money, when I hear other children talk so flippantly about the value of money.
My son's friend honestly believed that it was a great deal. Of course it was my son's money, not his friend's money, so maybe that made a difference? But non-the-less, I was shocked, and I automatically looked at my son to see if he felt the same way. He looked a bit embarrassed or possibly ashamed of his friend for saying something like that, but he also wasn't sure if maybe his friend was right and it was a good deal.
So, like I said before, the real awesomeness came after the sleep-over, once his friend had gone home. I took a moment to take him aside and ask him about the comment and how it had made him feel. I hadn't wanted to broach the topic while his friend was over, so as not to embarrass him with 'mommy-meddling'. ;)
What he told me was that when his friend had said, he was also kind of shocked but didn't want his friend to feel badly, so he just pretended to agree with him, but that really he thought 15 bucks was a lot of money, his money. He just didn't know what to do at the time. I told him how sweet he had been to have used his own money to buy not only goodies for himself, but also for his friend and me too! I wanted to make sure that he knew how sweet that was and that it did mean a lot.
I was just relieved to know that he did agree with me that spending 15 bucks on just 3 candy items, was a lot of money. He had worked hard for that money and it was gone in the blink of an eye. It was a great lesson for him, and a great reveal for me. My work is not yet completely done, but on its way! YEAH! :D
Would you like to meet my son and maybe show your child how he thinks about money? If so, here's one of his videos where he shows his pride of ownership after saving up for his very own tablet after two years of hard work! Enjoy! :D
Here's to your child's financial education and ultimate success! :D
...and to your pocket money, remaining in your pocket! ;)
Cheers...Amanda...Excited Life Enthusiast! ;o)
Best-selling author, Amanda van der Gulik, has been homeschooling her own two children for over 11 years. She loves to share her own experiences to help other families and is the founder of www.TeachingChildrenAboutMoney.com. Visit Amanda’s site today to grab your FREE copy of one of her amazing money tools for kids and teens, like her eBook, “Goal Setting for Families” workbook or her “50 Money Making Ideas for Kids and Teens” eBook to help your child find some fun ways to make their own dreams come true!
YES! It's finally happened!
My son has finally, truly learned the value of money.
The other weekend my son had a friend for a sleepover, we decided to make it a really fun weekend for all. We had chips, popcorn, popsicles and ice cream sandwiches and at one point I even let the two boys walk over to the local variety store to buy some more candy. Since we obviously did not have enough junk food yet! ;)
My son has learned over the years that if he wants to buy something, then he must use his own money, and NOT ask Mommy or Daddy for money! We are not his personal bank machines! Period.
So with that in mind, he offered to buy his friend, and himself of course, some goodies from the store down the road. Just being allowed to walk there on his own is already a big special occasion. Mommy's a little overprotective, it may seem. ;)
So off they went to the store, and back they came 15 minutes later with goodies in hand. The first thing my son did is surprise me with a treat of my own. There is one particular candy that I really enjoy, and he decided to get me some. (It was right before Mother's Day, so not sure if that was supposed to be my Mother's Day gift or not, but hey, I was happy and impressed non-the-less). :D
The part that made me really happy came actually after the sleep-over was long gone. What happened right after my son gave me the goodies was that his friend said casually to me, "What a great deal, all 3 goodies (his, my son's and mine) for only 15 bucks!" ....and he actually meant it.
I was shocked! It really made me realize how lucky I am with my own two kiddos and their knowledge and understanding of money, when I hear other children talk so flippantly about the value of money.
My son's friend honestly believed that it was a great deal. Of course it was my son's money, not his friend's money, so maybe that made a difference? But non-the-less, I was shocked, and I automatically looked at my son to see if he felt the same way. He looked a bit embarrassed or possibly ashamed of his friend for saying something like that, but he also wasn't sure if maybe his friend was right and it was a good deal.
So, like I said before, the real awesomeness came after the sleep-over, once his friend had gone home. I took a moment to take him aside and ask him about the comment and how it had made him feel. I hadn't wanted to broach the topic while his friend was over, so as not to embarrass him with 'mommy-meddling'. ;)
What he told me was that when his friend had said, he was also kind of shocked but didn't want his friend to feel badly, so he just pretended to agree with him, but that really he thought 15 bucks was a lot of money, his money. He just didn't know what to do at the time. I told him how sweet he had been to have used his own money to buy not only goodies for himself, but also for his friend and me too! I wanted to make sure that he knew how sweet that was and that it did mean a lot.
I was just relieved to know that he did agree with me that spending 15 bucks on just 3 candy items, was a lot of money. He had worked hard for that money and it was gone in the blink of an eye. It was a great lesson for him, and a great reveal for me. My work is not yet completely done, but on its way! YEAH! :D
Would you like to meet my son and maybe show your child how he thinks about money? If so, here's one of his videos where he shows his pride of ownership after saving up for his very own tablet after two years of hard work! Enjoy! :D
Here's to your child's financial education and ultimate success! :D
Cheers...Amanda...Excited Life Enthusiast! ;o)
Best-selling author, Amanda van der Gulik, has been homeschooling her own two children for over 11 years. She loves to share her own experiences to help other families and is the founder of www.TeachingChildrenAboutMoney.com. Visit Amanda’s site today to grab your FREE copy of one of her amazing money tools for kids and teens, like her eBook, “Goal Setting for Families” workbook or her “50 Money Making Ideas for Kids and Teens” eBook to help your child find some fun ways to make their own dreams come true!
