{Do you make your kids pay?}

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Okay, seasoned parents, tell me this: How old was your child the first time you demanded they repay you for something they broke, or, ehhh, destroyed?



The children responsible for shredding the upstairs bathroom's shower liner are 5 and 3. And currently have no means of income. And yet, the first words out of my smart mouth we're something along the lines of, "You're going to pay for this!"

Come on, don't they know the current state of the economy? And our family has not budgeted for extra shower liners at the end of the month! What were they thinking? Clearly they were not.

Now, one could say that, possibly, as I was the on-duty-parent at the time, that this may have been my fault. One could also not say that. And I would prefer them not to. I was busy. with something very important. very. important.

I was sewing.

And one could say it was because of them that I was sewing. I was sewing a Thank You gift for my mother's good friend, Judy. Judy is the sweet woman who gave me my first sewing machine when I was newly married and wanted to make banners for Jesus. Really, I did. Worship banners. And I still do-want to make banners to be used in worship. But I made one. and it was harder than I thought. So I talked to a woman who led a Banner Ministry for an amazing church in Houston who said she received each "pattern" from the Holy Spirit. I guess I'm still waiting for a pattern.

Anyway, back to a gift for Judy. Judy's daughter just had a baby, so I made a Valentine's diaper cloth and a matching crayon roll for the Big Sis. This is a thank you gift, because Judy always goes above and beyond with Christmas gifts for my kids. And I have yet to send a Thank You note. Really, I am so bad at that. Must get better.



Any ideas for making my kids pay? I mean for the shower liner? Anyone know of a shower liner coupon floating around out there?

7 Creative People Had This To Say:

Lisa Noel said...

oh i want a crayon roll.
but i swear this is part of why i started giving my kids allowance. they have to work for it and they have to save part, give part and then they can keep some to spend but that is the part that gets repossessed if they owe me something

Curdie said...

Do they have a savings account? We usually have a piggy bank that has change for our daughter that we periodically take to the bank. We had her take money out of it to pay for a toy she deliberately broke once when she was 2.5. She is more careful now.

Carey-Life in the Carpool Lane said...

I've got something for you over at my site. Swing by when you get a chance...

jen said...

TeeHee - this made me laugh. I say let them do jobs around the house for money and pay for half of the liner. But you have to realize that either way you're the one paying for it. The money comes out of your account; you just have to decide whether or not you want to help them with all the chores that it is going to take, because there's nothing like a 3 yo and a 5 yo "helping" around the house to send the mommy over the edge!

Amy Jo said...

I hate when things "happen" and I'm the parent on duty!

The Dollar Store ussually sells shower liners for *ahem* a dollar. I bought the fabric liners that are $10 at Bed Bath and Beyond....I know, I know. A splurge, but they can be washed and never get ripped. :)

Unknown said...

My parents always made me work it off with chores appropriate for my age. They sure did a number on that shower liner, didn't they! :)

Susie Q said...

Dollar store shower curtain til I can afford better. Then when I replace them, I use them for drop cloths for stuff. And yeah, chores. They are short enough that dusting the baseboards isn't too difficult. Wiping down the bathroom countertops. Putting away their clean clothes in the drawers. I always folded their clothes in outfits (probably why I didn't know #2 child was color blind til he was 13) Anyway, they can sort laundry too. Darks, lights, towels and they can fold towels too. They learned not to tell me they were bored ;D