Off the Cuff / My Other Journal

School supplies? Budgeting? Not my kids!

Haha! Not that I didn’t try, but it did not take. I am writing this because, after reading the financial advice article down below, I recalled something that happened in my family about twenty nine years ago.

Here is the beginning of the article:

“Kids Can Learn by Helping With Shopping
Wednesday, August 15, 2007 3:49 PM EDT
The Associated Press
By EILEEN ALT POWELL

“NEW YORK (AP) — For Lori Mackey, the back-to-school shopping season is a time for teaching. While her children are busy selecting notebooks and new outfits for the first day of class, she's busy explaining to them the importance of comparison pricing and staying within a budget.

"You have families that can spend $1,000, and you have families that can spend $200," said Mackey, the founder of Prosperity4Kids Inc. in Agoura Hills, Calif., which specializes in financial education for children. "It really doesn't matter how much you've got — it's an ideal opportunity to teach kids the value of money."

Easy to say for Ms. Powell. I bet she never met kids like mine.

When my children were small, I was of the same opinion as that writer; so, two days before school opened, I took my kids shopping for school supplies. The younger one was all excited about his promotion to first grade and the older one liked the teacher who was assigned to his class.

Our shopping spree went very well. The boys seemed to understand the basics; we all had a great time with our comparison shopping; and afterwards, we enjoyed a happy lunch at the mall.

When we came home, we put the supplies inside a large drawer in a cabinet in the den. I told the boys they could get what they needed when they needed it, be it pencils, note-books, and other stationery items.

After four or five days, the older boy screamed in shock. “Mom, we've been robbed!”

When I asked what happened, he led me to the school supplies drawer. I couldn’t believe my eyes. From all those supplies only two note-books and two pencils were left.

“Why would anyone take only the school supplies?” I wondered out loud. Then, I thought maybe the younger one took them to his room, because lately, he had gotten into the habit of taking the knick knacks inside the house to his room and sitting on the floor to examine them. I checked his room and other rooms but found nothing.

At that time, he was in the backyard playing with a neighbor’s child. I called him inside and asked him if he knew anything about the missing supplies.

He looked at me funny and then said, “Sure. Weren’t they for school? I gave them all to the kids in my class. You want me to share, don’t you!”

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

As a result, more shopping was done and stricter rules were set.

Truth is, he is still the same way. He gives the shirt off his back and walks around shirtless.

Some things never change.