So today, the girls and I went grocery shopping at Safeway. Melia saw some balloons and was convinced that she needed another balloon in addition to the huge "Super Dad" balloon that she got for free there at Safeway the day after Father's Day that is still floating around our house and the pink heart balloon that we got at the Dollar Tree because it was only, surprise, suprise, a dollar. So she spent most of our shopping time trying to convince me that we needed to get another balloon so she could have three. My attempts to help her understand that 2 balloons were enough, that we didn't have money to buy another balloon, that we were only buying food this time, that I was done talking about it, etc, etc, were just not working today. We then get in line to pay for our stuff and Melia starts asking the checker for a balloon. I tell her that she can't just give her a balloon--that it takes money. So then Melia's next words to the checker are, "Can I have some money?". Ahh, kids. The checker then points to the automatic change thing and some money comes out. Melia gets it out and is so excited that she now has money so she can buy a balloon! The problem was she had about 14 cents and the balloon was six dollars. I almost gave it up and got her the balloon as I looked down at her sweet little face beaming with excitement. But then my sensible side took over and I remembered that, one, I didn't want to teach her that it doesn't matter how many times mommy says no because you eventually get it anyway, and two, there was no way I was going to pay 6 bucks for a balloon. So we went over to where the balloons were and I showed her the price tag and helped her count how much money she had. Once she kind of understood that she didn't have enough money, I told her that she could save what she had and earn some more and then, once she has enough, we could come back and get a balloon. She seemed to be pacified with that idea. Man, I never thought that I would have to start teaching my 3 1/2 year old about money already. I thought that came later on. She definitely keeps me on my toes. I'm sure she'll actually remember about coming back when she has more money. But when that time comes, we'll definitely be going to the Dollar Tree where we can get 6 balloons for the price of one at Safeway!
1 comment:
Good job, Mommy! Only a great mom takes the time to teach those lessons when the opportunities present themselves! And- yes, she will probably remember about the balloon when she gets some more money- and then there is another opportunity to teach her about the value of a dollar!! (as opposed to six)
Post a Comment