Little Life Lessons

Yaaay you came back!

Glad you are just as eager as I am to learn more ways to live on the childish side of life.

Earlier this month my sister was inspired to open a bank account for our chickens, to begin instilling the importance of responsibility and the value of saving money. We were led to give them a little allowance every month (it’s really not that much money) for them to do with as they please. This allowance would be implemented based on 2 conditions:

1. They would put aside 10% of their allowance towards buying a gift to a child or someone less privileged.
2. All their chores are done on a regular basis, and their schoolwork is of a high standard.

Like anything new, when it comes to kids, this was trial and error, but the fundamental reason, is to impart values of sharing and responsibility.  It should never be just about the spoil, but about finding ways to give children what they want, while imparting life lessons in fun ways that they are able to remember.

Growing Up or Growing Pains

Cannot even begin to tell you how amusing this exercise was for my sister and I to witness. Watching a 9-year-old grow anxious and frustrated because her budget simply doesn’t allow for her to get the doll and the Lego set she desperately wanted was bittersweet for us lol.  To have them see and understand that when a grownup says “I can’t afford that right now” they really mean it, was worth all the drama of the day. This exercise helped drive home the fact that in life you cannot always get what you want. Hopefully, they got the point, I guess we’ll have to wait for the next toy day to see😊.

The day wasn’t all stress and gloom for the little divas. The independence of swiping their cards at purchase seemed to trump their limited budget woes. Also, the joy they brought to someone less fortunate, was considerably the biggest lesson of the day.

If like us, you’re also new to this form of incentivized parenting, I urge you to give it a try. Positive reinforcement goes a long way. They learn, you laugh and its fun. Start them off with as little as R100, its enough to get them a little toy while simultaneously teaching them lasting life skills.

Give Our Kiddies a Voice.

It is important to allow our children to have a voice and a mind of their own. My chickens inspired me to dedicate a section for us to highlight and encourage their favorite things. Every week I will dedicate a section titled ‘my absolute favorite is …’.

On various topics listing both mine and their favorite things. Please take part in this fun exercise. Share and post all the fun favorites you and your little ones have in the comments section below.

My Absolute Favorite… FOOD

Chickens: All things Italian! Pizza, lasagna, ice cream (gelato)

Aunty Abo (That’s me by the way): Bacon, Oreo’s, gourmet sandwiches, salad…. NOT and all things Italian!

Share the fun!

Join me next week and see what other fun, hair pulling but insightful activities we get up to. There is no limit to the different ways we can learn from being like children!