I don't know where you get this from - definitely not from me. Well, maybe a little bit but not at all actually. You have become extremely interested in having money. You have this cool little wallet and sometimes when you do special (not every day) chores around the house, then you are rewarded with a R5 coin and once even a R10 note for your efforts. Sometimes Granny or Gaga will slip you a shiny penny for spoils, but you have been spending your time collecting all kinds of money. I like taking you down to the corner shop to buy your own thing with your OWN hard earned change. You're super generous and last time we went you even bought Benjamin a little something - ice creams I think it was. When we got home you looked in your wallet and said "Mommy I don't want to go to the shop again" and I was completely confused. What in all the land is more rewarding than spending your own money on a special treat? "Mommy when we go to the shop then I don't have any money left." You are four and you have cottoned on to something that most adults (including me) have yet to figure out.
Since then, you have been treasuring every cent. When we go to the shops, sometimes I ask if you want to bring your wallet and you say no. I've figured you out young man. You know that most times I'll get you a little treat anyway, and you don't lose out on your savings. The other weekend you were walking around to all your bigger family members asking what you can do for money. It was super hot and I sort of teased and said that if you hung up all the washing I'd give you your very first R10 note. In two wags of a duck's tail you were emptying the wet laundry in to a basket and dragging it down the passage. You really DID hang up a full load while I drank iced tea in the sun and you really DID get a R10 note. You did such a good job too and didn't complain for a second.
I explained to you that if you have 10 of those green notes, then you will have ONE HUNDRED RAND. This impressed the cartwheels out of you, and now you are more adamant than ever to be a hundred-aire. You've told me that when you have R100 then you don't want to buy a house, but you'd like to buy a car. A big sit-in remote controlled one that you saw in a toy shop once. That car was about R1500 so you only have about 149 loads of washing left to hang. You can totally do it. I don't know how I'm going to break all of this to you, but for now I'm really enjoying all the extra help around the house.
Look, you do your regular chores like tidy up the lounge, you put your own dishes in the sink, you sort of clean your room an you put your own dirty clothes in the washing basket. You are super well organized and you don't get paid for that, but I'm pretty good at finding extra things that need doing. I have got in to a very naughty mommy habit of daring you to eat things. For money. This is completely unacceptable and I am an awful mother for toying with you like this, but I really enjoyed watching you spit out that blue cheese the other day and testing your boundaries and tolerance. It's sort of nice seeing it from this angle for a change. I do still owe you R5 for eating that lemon wedge - I haven't forgotten.
I hope that you'll stay this mature, determined and practical in your work ethic and financial skills. You are a very strange and wonderful little guy - I am SO proud of you all the time. Your other favorite thing on earth is your library card, which you keep with your other treasures. I just counted again and you're already on R48.50. Do you even know how proud I am? Don't ever lose this side of yourself, not for all the ice creams in the world.
I was smiling and giggling so much while reading this, I had to read it to Brian and had tears in my eyes while doing so :) You are such an awesome mommy and Ben and Noah are such adorable little guys! Love you guys to the moon and back! xxx
ReplyDeleteHe is just too precious!!
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