Our teenage son, Josh, has been struggling to realise the true value of the dollar. He needed new clothes due to a MASSIVE growth spurt. I swear if his growth is in relation to what he eats, then the lad will be a MONSTER!!
Anyhow, got this great idea from friends of ours. I gave Josh a sum of money. $150 to be exact and told him to outfit himself within that budget. It was agreed I would buy jocks, pyjamas and a pair of shoes, but the rest, he had to buy within that $150 and any change he could keep. He was most excited at this prospect, because I think he thought he was going to pocket $149.95!!
Off we went to Stocklands here in Townsville on a Thursday night. Must have been a full moon, as I saw some sights there that have been only spoken of in legend. EEEwwwwww!
He had an idea of what he needed and was going to buy the lot at Rebel Sport..............yeah right. He saw a t-shirt he wanted for $49.95 and I pointed out that would take a third of his budget. He was OK with that he said and I kept my mouth shut. ( No, really I did )By the time he got to the checkout, he spotted a table with 2 shirts for $40. I could see a re-think taking place and he ended up with 3 shirts for $60. Wow, said he, I just got 2 shirts for what it would have cost for just 1!! ( just smiled and told him he was a great bargain shopper ).
For his money he ended up with 3 t-shirts, 1 pair denim shorts, 1 pair dress shorts, 2 belts and a pair of shoes he picked up for 1/2 price. I think he did well with money and I enjoyed shopping with him and watching him weigh up the options. We DID walk 275 kilometres around the shopping centre though and I put in an extra $60 to buy jocks, a pair of shoes, and PJ's as promised.
This one is the kicker though and made it all worthwhile for me. "Wow", said Josh "this is just me and you have 3 kids to outfit as well as you and Dad". AMEN, thank you, I am brilliant, I know.
The penny had dropped, and really, isn't this what it's all about as a parent? Getting your kids to UNDERSTAND and be GRATEFUL for what you do.
I went to bed a very happy Mummy.
Stay beautiful
K xx
omg i am so going to have to do that with grace and maybe anthony aswell. great idea kel.
ReplyDeleteHello there baby. Love the idea but I am sure he will keep coming back for more (they always do). Love your comments and poems and chit chat. Miss you heaps love ya
ReplyDeleteoh my, a smart mum and a SMART son ....he just had to keep his mouth shut and play dumb and scored $210 worth of stuff outer that lesson!raotflmao Thats just him and you have three others to teach this lesson to! LOL I'm just kidding around with you! :) It sounds like you had a sweet moment and a lovely day together!
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