Not how much they cost. Teaching them about it. A post on Babble.com‘s Toddler Times asks, “Is Toddlerhood Too Early to Teach Money Lessons?”
Answer: I have no idea. I read this story and thought, “I’m not sure one incident demonstrates anything.”
But in fact I am trying to teach Baguette my own lessons on this subject. I do think she’s too young to learn about budgeting–right now she thinks every number is “3”–but when she starts to fuss about eating an apple in the store, I say, “No, first we have to pay for it. It doesn’t belong to us until we pay for it.”
Since she doesn’t yet know about bar codes, either, I am able to stick to this rule with pre-packaged items as well as things that need to be weighed. Yes, technically I could have let her eat one of the muffins (which she calls “CAKE!!!!”) in the bakery 4-pack. But instead I managed to delay the moment when she realizes that’s an option.
And, really, isn’t that what parenting is all about?
Photo by MoneyBlogNewz, via Flickr.
It’s never to early to start teaching them that things cost money. But it’s like teaching them anything else. It’s an on-going conversation, not a one-time thing. Squish is learning to pick up his toys in exchange for money. He has something he is saving for. But if we don’t talk about it and offer reminders, it’s a lesson lost.
Definitely. I mean, she still has to be reminded to say “Please” if she wants to watch Elmo, which is of much more importance to her!