This Little Piggy Has Coins In It
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Family on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 2:49 PM
We bought our daughter her first piggy bank, and I am crazy about the thing.
Not for the reasons she is, of course. Camilla loves her pig’s pretty polka-dotted pattern (“RAINBOW dots, Mama!”) and the clink each coin makes when she drops it into the slot on the pig’s back. She strokes its cold ceramic skin. She goes into her room multiple times a day just to gaze at it.
I couldn’t care less about what the pig looks like, and I’m unimpressed by the grand total of my daughter’s savings (currently about twenty-five cents). But I have my own reason for liking the new piggy bank: its owner is suddenly very interested in earning money. A kid who wants to earn money is a helpful, helpful kid.
Blaise was fussily determined not to let me take a shower yesterday, while I was sweatily determined that I needed one. Camilla is good at entertaining her brother but she normally gives up easily if he’s grumpy. This time, though, I offered her a dime if she kept him happy through my entire shower. With that incentive, she applied herself to the task with dedication, and I was amazed at how long my shower lasted. I even had time to shave my legs! When I came out, I found the children dancing happily in the living room.
Best ten cents I’ve spent in a long time.
Oh, and right now? Blaise is napping, and I’m sitting in a living room that is perfectly tidy - thanks to my daughter, who earned five shiny pennies doing a bang-up clean-up job.
I have a feeling that I’m going to be the main source of income for the new piggy bank, and I couldn’t be happier about it.
Eventually our daughter will be old enough to understand basic math and learn about money for real. (Right now, she’s bewildered by the idea that a dime is worth more than a nickel. It’s smaller! How does that make sense?) We’ve got plans: allowances, teaching her about saving and tithing, all that good stuff.
Eventually, also, she’ll have real chores that she doesn’t get paid to do. She’s got a few now, but she’s still at the age where we have to guide (read: nag) her through them. A nickel provides some very useful incentive.
So for now, I’ll be enjoying the opportunity to buy myself longer showers.
(By the way, when I asked Camilla what she was going to do with the money she saved, she chirped, “Buy some toys for my brother!” Aww. Yet another reason I’m a fan of the piggy bank.)
I’d love to hear about how you’ve done the money thing with your kids.
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