Money Makes the World Go 'Round

The Mud Puddle has discovered the power of the all might dollar at the ripe old age of 4. For the most part I have kept the chatter about money to a minimum. When he tries to open or eat something in a store prior to checking out I explain to him that you have to pay for it first – that it belongs to the store until we pay for it and it becomes ours.

I remember a trip to the Disney Store where I jokingly told him to pay for something himself and he patted down his pockets like he was looking for his cash stash.

This week he got a Halloween card with a dollar in it. He then wanted to carry it around with him. Well that is as good as throwing it in the trash in my estimation so I put the kibosh on that. I then showed him his ‘secret’ money (the place where I keep all the money he has been given and have been too lazy/busy to open a savings account for him).
He then wanted to ‘hold’ it all. Umm, no. We put the dollar in with the rest of his money and told him he didn’t really NEED any money since Daddy and I pay for everything.

I gave him a quarter to hold figuring he couldn’t do too much damage with that – unless of course he swallowed it (which I did once with a dime imitating something I saw on Zoom – which did quite the number on my intestinal track for two days at least) which I didn’t think he would. He doesn’t eat things that he shouldn’t (touch wood).

He then notices the piggy bank in the kitchen (there used to be two but Scott broke mine and somehow the money from it got put in his – yes I am suspicious and will remind him of it until he is 80) and wanted to put the quarter in it. Great. Good place for a quarter.

So this morning on the way out to car (5 minutes late per usual. Which to me means five minutes late should probably just be ‘on time’) he finds a penny and wants to put it in his piggy bank. I decide that this is probably a good idea b/c even though it will make us later it also means the penny won’t be in his pocket headed to daycare.

I love the fact that he wants to ‘save’ the penny, I am hopeful that I can raise him to be fiscally responsible but not a tightwad. There is a fine line or so I am told – I don’t think I have ever been accused of being either one.