The economy is bad. It’s no secret. People are cutting back. Frugal is now a word I hear often. Apparently my daughter did not get this memo. Money is just paper in her cute little glitter covered pink wallet.
Last Wednesday I left work early to check on my mom. I got home before Tyler and Abbey. I started laundry and dinner. Then I sat back to relax a little before the chaos of my night began. Little did I know that the chaos would be triple that night.
I heard the bus drop the kids off. A few minutes later they barged through the door. Abbey’s eyes were big. I noticed she went straight to her room without one word. Tyler was right behind her. I could hear him telling her she better tell me. When she didn’t say anything he blurted out, “Mama, Abbey gave away SIXTY dollars on the bus.” What? Can you repeat that? Yeah he said it…. SIXTY dollars.
I was beyond furious. First, I told her NOT to take her Christmas money to school. Second, she just GAVE it to a little girl. Third, there was no third. I was out of my seat in three seconds flat heading to her room.
“Abbey, why did you give your money away? Did she ask for it? Why did you even have it with you? What on this Earth were you thinking?” I bombarded her with questions. I didn’t wait for answers. I kept trying to get a reason to her madness. The answers finally came. Not good ones, mind you. Basically all I got was, “Mama, I don’t know.”
I definitely will not win Mother of the Year in 2010! I yelled. I didn’t raise my voice, I flat out yelled. She was terrified. I couldn’t even spank her. Jason had to because I was that mad. I grounded her for two weeks. And… I took all her money from her. Even her pennies! I put it up so she can’t find it.
After much fussing yelling I put her in the Explorer and we searched for this little girl. Luckily she stays with her babysitter that is only a few houses down. I went to the door to make sure she was still there. Then I explained the situation to the lady. She brought the girl to the door. I made Abbey ask for her money. She handed her a twenty. The babysitter asked where the rest was. She gave forty to another little girl! OH… I was feeling some more yelling coming on.
We get back in the Explorer. Abbey assures me she knows exactly where this girl lives. After knocking on two doors, I finally find her. This little girl was not as easy as the first. She wanted to get smart. She told me Abbey didn’t give her money someone else did. Finally she reluctantly handed over the other forty.
Abbey was an angel for the rest of the night. She knew better than to push my buttons. She even wrote on the bathroom mirror (we leave notes with dry erase markers) how sorry she was. I felt a tiny bit bad. No, honestly, I didn’t feel bad. At all.
Here is the question. Did I do the right thing by getting her money back? I just could not decide. Maybe I should have let that be her lesson, but it didn’t seem to bother her that she no longer had money. What would y’all have done?
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Comments
OH MY GOSH! I have no words….
Well, I think I know what I would have done…I think.
I think I would’ve taken her to get the money back, but made sure she knew she wouldn’t be getting to keep the money to spend how she wanted to. I think I would put it up and buy clothes or other necessities for her with it. Does that make sense?
Deanna that is exactly what I did. I took all her money. We put it where she can’t find it. I bought her some clothes with some of it. She wasn’t too happy.
I don’t know what I would have done.
I can laugh at this but I know you can’t.
I am glad you went and got it. I remember one time after Grandmother Jessie died I had been given some of her costume jewelry. Nothing of any real value mind you but they did allow me to have some earrings that were nicer that the rest. I remember they were several gold color stones made into a diamond shape. They were not awfully big but too nice for me to wear at the time and mother specifically told me NOT to wear them to school. I can’t remember what grade I was in but it was 4th grade or less because I did wear them and lost them on the playground. We are just going to defy our parents from time to time.
Yeah I think you did the right thing by getting her money back. But I wouldnt let her have any of it unless it is for something that she has to have for school.
OOh! Hard one! They just really don’t understand. My 6 year old is always willing to give away his money. Not my 10 year old, not that she understands either, she just wants to spend it all, on herself. She knows that much, just not how hard it is to get it.
Glad to see you are still blogging. I was truly at a loss for words all Fall but I think I”m back.
E