Yesterday Maryn was bound and determined to go to the store with her piggy bank and buy the whole store out. Me thinking this would be a great opportunity to teach her about coins and how much they're worth asked her to sit down with me and we would count all her money to find out how much there was. I told her things cost money and you have to make sure that you have enough. So she wrote on my shopping list marshmallows, gum and crush. All the essentials for a 6 year old. She had about 7 dollars in change so I thought I would try to teach her how pennies, nickels and quarters add up and can equal a dollar and she could exchange with me all her loose change for dollar bills so it would be easier to carry in the store! OH BOY!!!
After the whole exercise of explaining how much each coin is worth and showing her then physically exchanging her coins for dollar bills I thought she got it. Then a minute later as I put all her pennies in the penny jar she said give me back my coins now Mom! Well Maryn we exchanged them you have the same amount of money that you started out with. And the screaming match begins. I've never seen so many cross words come from a little kid. She was shaking with anger, lip trembling and bawling her head off screaming you stole my money you thief. So after trying for 5 minutes to explain what had happened and me finding myself matching her yelling I told her fine I would exchange back the pennies I traded her for. That seemed to be a simple solution when after we changed it back she demanded I give her the dollar bills too and now she was mad at me because her purse was too heavy to carry in the store. Then the screaming match proceeded. "GIVE ME BACK MY MONEY!!!"
I asked Maryn if she new what exchange meant and she said Yes. I asked her to explain it to me and her reply which was very nasty toned was, "It's where people take away your money". ARGHHHH My only saving grace was Maryn's friends were coming over and after I told her that she stopped crying enough to listen to what I had to say.
I think after 2 pounds of tears and a hoarse voice later she finally understood what I was trying to do. Explaining money will have to be a Daddy thing.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Money lessons
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5 Special Comments:
Oh my word, what an adventure!!! Kiddo has a hard time understanding it, too, but he seems to get it a little better when we "trade," at least, LOL... maybe because he's been interested in money for so long, or maybe because he watches us like a hawk when we pay cash, or maybe because he's male. No idea, but I wish I could take credit for it b/c then I might actually have something helpful to recommend, LOL! Although he's started claiming whatever he finds, too... and I had to explain that no, he doesn't necessarily get Mommy's change at the store... What fun! ;)
Hope she understands soon, LOL! We trade money for stuff, and time for money... it's so abstract, though, that it really is hard to explain. I remember in elementary school - I was like, THE LAST KID in class to get the whole currency thing. I liked punching out the pretend coins, but it totally didn't make sense to me. I'm not sure when I got it, actually, but I'm pretty sure that when I understood, it wasn't with paper coins.
And I'm sorry for cracking up while I was reading this - I could just envision her, feeling grievously wronged! ;) A very indignant - and righteously so, in her view - six-year-old girl! Whew!
That is awesome!!!!! I am so glad that I am not the only mother who gets these moments. Poor girl and poor mommy. It is so difficult when they don't understand and you are losing patients at explaining it. You just want to through your hands up and say, "nevermind, just go somewhere else." Been there, done that! Hope it gets better for you.
Wow, I would definitely leave that one to daddy from now on. It must have been very frustrating. I hope that she understands better now and that you won't have to repeat the process any time soon.
Hang in there momma!
Yes, I am glad too, that we have moments like this...it's so hard to me to explain things on their level of thinking!!!
Oh, my little Maryn, what travails you give your mommy. I can just see her screaming to the bank, "Give me back my money!" Ha ha ha, I'm glad things turned out though.
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