A Child's Perspective

So today, I was going through the mail while the kids were eating snacks at the table. As I was going through the letters I was telling them whether they were good letters or bad letters. One of the letters told me I could have 7,500$. Evie was very excited. Then I told her it wasn't a good notice. It was an offer for a LOAN!

I told her it was bad money. She gave me a funny look. So I gave her an example.

I told her that I wanted to go to the water park with her, her brother, her two sisters and daddy. But I told her I didn't have the money because daddy's paycheck wasn't here yet. So I borrowed $100 from the people who sent me the letter. She smiled. She apparently believed we had a good time.

I asked her "if we borrow something do we have to give it back?" She, of course, said "yes." Good girl.

So I asked her "if I borrowed the $100 should I give it back?" She agreed that I should. I then told her that not only would I have to give the $100 back that I borrowed, but I'd have to give the notice people an extra $10 for the kindness of borrowing their money. She seemed to take that in for a moment.

At this point, I wasn't quite sure she had understood, until she looked at me and said, with a priceless look of incredulity on her face, "THAT'S BAD!" I laughed so hard.

I totally agreed and then reminded her that was why I had thrown away the notice. Then I told her to tell anyone she could find to let them know that it's bad to borrow money. (I'll let her know later how unavoidable borrowing is sometimes, but I think I'll keep the exceptions to the rule to myself for now!)

Things seem so simple when you're 5, don't they?

Aren't kids great?!