Lesson One: Pick your battles aka What Were You Thinking, Tertia
Me: Lets go to the park guys
Kids: Much jubilation
Me: It's late though, so we aren't staying for long
Adam: Can we stay for 5 mins
Me: Yes
Kate: Can we stay for 13 minutes
Me: Yes
Adam: Can we stay for 17 minutes
Me: Yes
Kate: Can we stay for a million minutes
Me: No, we can't stay long. Just play for a bit and then we will go home
Kate: I want to stay for a million minutes!!!
Me: Don't be silly, we aren't staying for a million minutes
Kate: I WANT TO STAY FOR A MILLION MINUTES!!!
Me: Kate! Don't be ridiculous, we can't stay for a mill....... (I suddenly realize I am arguing with a five year old who can't tell time - WTF!!) ...... ok Kate, we can stay for a million minutes.
Kids: Much jubilation, skip off to go play.
We leave 20 minutes later, everyone is happy.
Lesson Two: Teaching children about the value of money and hard work aka Be Careful What You Wish For
Scene 1: At the kids play place
Kate: I want one of those squishy ____ (a ridiculously overpriced toy that some sadist left right at the checkout)
Me: No
Kate: But I want one!! (to be read in whiny voice)
Me: No Kate, I am not buying one of those, they are too expensive
Kate: (with great dramatic flair) YOU'RE RUINING MY LIFE!
Me: I am not buying that toy. That's it.
Kate: Then I will buy it myself
Me: With what money?
Kate: You must give me money.
Me: Oh no, it doesn't work like that. You have to WORK for money
Kate: (dramatically) But I ASK and I ASK to go to work with you (true story, they always want to come with me when I say I am going to work), and you always say NO! How am I supposed to work if you wont let me go!
Me: Kate, you aren't supposed to come to my work to do work, you need to have a JOB. You need a job to make money.
Kate: (throws hands up) But my job is to make a mess and you are always telling me not to make a mess and so how am I supposed to do my job if you wont let me?
Me: (I try my best to hide my laughter and explain about jobs and pocket money etc. I see a light goes on in Kate's mind).
Kate is now on a mission to make money. She is constantly hounding me for jobs for money. This morning at 6am on New Years Day, she pries open my eyes with the words "have you got a job for me?". I let her reorganize (read 'mess') my sock drawer.
This is her collection of money she has made so far. Next step is to teach her the actual monetary value of each coin. But not too soon, it is far cheaper letting her believe that more coins are better than a few paper notes.
![Medsitters Au pairs](<a href="http://medsitter.com/" title="Medsitters"><img src=" http://www.tertia.org/medsitter.png" /></a> ){kind=link}
Your Kate argues like my Empress... Lawyer in the making, perhaps?
We set our Empress to do some earning tasks, but she thinks that Work and Jobs can be done whenever it suits the employee....
Posted by: Yes, that Petunia | 01 January 2010 at 07:49 AM
Enjoy the coin stage for as long as you can milk it... my son (just turned 6) now INSISTS on paper money! My fault, as the tooth fairy, being so excited at the loss of his 1st tooth,gave him 10 ront! Now thats all he wants... green backs or nothing x
Posted by: Kirsty | 01 January 2010 at 08:29 AM
Classic! Had such a good laugh. :-D
Posted by: Maritza | 01 January 2010 at 12:15 PM
OMG, this totally sounds like discussions/arguments we have had in my house. Thanks for the laugh.
Posted by: Kristin | 01 January 2010 at 05:25 PM
When we were kids we taught my youngest sister that nickels (five) and pennies (1) were better then dimes (10) because they were BIGGER!
and paper wasn't any good because it could tear easy. she had a horrible time learning money in school because of that early training.
Posted by: bp | 01 January 2010 at 05:32 PM
This is hilarious! Gave me and my husband a real giggle - particularly because I anticipate that this type of conversation is in our future.
Posted by: Zoey @ Good Goog | 02 January 2010 at 12:29 PM
Love that Kate was so certain of her job - making a mess. You must tell her that your job is always being right ;-)
Posted by: 21stCenturyMom | 02 January 2010 at 10:48 PM
They are so cute when they can't understand how to measure time. I used to love when Phoebe would say when she was little "Remember yesterday when we..." and it would be something that happened several months or a year ago. Too cute!
Posted by: Heather | 03 January 2010 at 05:39 AM
Mine always want a job! But, at 6 a.m.?? I think I would have fired her!
Posted by: Stefanie | 04 January 2010 at 10:32 PM
BWOOOOOHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Oh.my.word. This is what I have to look forward to.
Posted by: Christina (Apron Strings) | 05 January 2010 at 03:06 AM
How I love those kids - they are so funny!
Posted by: BridgieDidge | 05 January 2010 at 12:22 PM
shoooweee. you have loads of spam comments.
aside from the spammers, this post made me laugh my ass off.
my two year old tells me every day that he's going to get in his car, go to work and make lots of moneys. so i guess it starts early everywhere.
man, i miss being a kid.
Posted by: ExMi | 06 January 2010 at 09:10 PM
The covers of this book are too far apart.
Posted by: Weight | 07 January 2010 at 08:41 AM
The covers of this book are too far apart.
Posted by: Weight | 07 January 2010 at 08:42 AM
too cute!
Posted by: Coral | 07 January 2010 at 09:08 AM
I don't even butter my bread; I consider that cooking.
Posted by: christian louboutin | 07 January 2010 at 09:57 AM
I don't even butter my bread; I consider that cooking.
Posted by: christian louboutin | 07 January 2010 at 09:57 AM
We don't make mistakes, we just have happy little accidents.
Posted by: Life insurance | 07 January 2010 at 11:40 AM
We don't make mistakes, we just have happy little accidents.
Posted by: Life insurance | 07 January 2010 at 11:41 AM
We don't make mistakes, we just have happy little accidents.
Posted by: Life insurance | 07 January 2010 at 11:41 AM
We don't make mistakes, we just have happy little accidents.
Posted by: Life insurance | 07 January 2010 at 11:41 AM
We don't make mistakes, we just have happy little accidents.
Posted by: Life insurance | 07 January 2010 at 11:42 AM
cool lessons!
Posted by: Masculina Tratamiento | 24 January 2010 at 01:31 PM