Pester power and unlimited funds
THERE is a hole in the wall that dispenses cash.
Need money? Just find one of these ‘holes’, insert plastic card in and voila, instant cash.
Well, that’s what my daughter thought when accompanying me to get money from an ATM.
It took some convincing her that the money I was ‘taking’ was there because I’d worked hard to earn it.
Perhaps the ‘hole in the wall’ is a modern-day version of the money tree my parents had in their backyard.
You know, one that if you want to buy something you just pluck the money from a bough.
Yeah, nah.
I suppose the point is our children assume we have unlimited access to funds.
I read somewhere that having a daughter is like having a little best friend who thinks you’re loaded.
Apparently, the magic number of requests before success when it comes to demands made by children is 17.
That’s 17 pleases, why nots and promises to do something to get their own way.
After the 17th time, psychologists say most parents relent.
Whether that’s good parenting or not, isn’t my call.
I’m a bit old school (and stubborn) and the more they ask the more determined I become to not grant their wish.
Another finding by researchers who recorded children interacting with their parents was they asked 107 questions an hour.
That’s hectic!
I’m not sure if mine asked that many of me as I likely tuned out after the 50th one.
Now little miss is nine, we’ve transitioned to her earning pocket money.
This is done through the containers-for-change service.
All she needs to do is put the empties into a black bag and tag it.
We take her to the showground’s recycling unit and she pops the bags inside.
She is always excited to see how much money she made.
The problem is when she loses something, like her school hat for example, she has to pay for a new one.
The hole in the wall – the modern day money tree – doesn’t dispense cash willy nilly.
No number of requests makes money itself pile up, would be wonderful if it did.
Her 17 requests while in a shop don’t increase the bank balance but one day she’ll have kids of her own and she too will need to deal with a money tree, hole in the wall or whatever the future holds currency wise in her generation.
