"... then you will count how much I have spent.t on you from when I carried you in the womb, until I gave birth to you, calculate how much food, clothe, accommodation, toys, and education and give me."
I heard these kinds of comments a lot while growing up. No, my parents never ever said them. I either heard it from a parent telling the child or when some of my friends would tell me how they envied me since my parents never bothered me about giving them my cash gifts.
For a lot of us, we were exposed to money from really early. Actually, it perplexes me to think that, from conception, even a baby has this attachment to money. Ever noticed how strong they tend to grip it and how the ones who could mouth certain words blab about "bishkit" and "juuss" at the sight of money?? Lmao
I was five years old when my mother got me my first saving box(piggy bank), the wooden kind. She got one for me and another for my younger brother, which she had used a knife to carve our names on so there would be no brawls.Usually, we had uncles and aunties and random visitors giving us money, especially during the festive periods, and to little us, it was a lot of money, far more than we could spend at a go. We weren't the buy-buy kids so there was not so much we used our monies for.
Before then, I'd give her the money to keep for me. She tied it at the hem of her wrapper which she kept in a wardrobe or she put it in one of her numerous bags and she showed me its exact location.
My parents had no concern for what we got. They'd jokingly tell me(us) to give them the money but reject it when we did saying it was for us. All they wanted was that we told them whenever we received money and from whom. That was enough.
The best learning moments for me were the few times I lost money. Once, I had lost money I was given to pay for my class excursion trip and that almost costed me that opportunity.
But for the most times, I'd watched how well my parents were checking-and-balancing to ensure that things added up.
I'd listen to them plan out every kobo, making adjustments here and there. Because we all lived in a close space and my parents did well to not keep off from explaining financial situations as it concerned our home, we learned early enough.
And so with all the money I was receiving, saving so I could get the cool stuff I wanted rather than ask from them was like my most relevant leap into that world.
With the saving box, I ended up not waiting up until the time I told myself I'd save for elapsed. I was just in a hurry to see what I had amassed and to get the new stuff I fancied. Because I was overzealous about the practice, I saved very much(to little me) and there was not a more prouder moment. I even recall my parents getting me a wristwatch for my effort.
This goes to say that I do not think that there's a perfect moment to teach kids about money. Just start immediately. As soon as they can tell that money equals buying snacks and toys and getting them whatever. It's not a call to full-length financial teachings. Just the basics that they should know as regards the occurrence surrounding the money talk at that time.
This is my thought.
Thanks for stopping by.
SOKA🖤