Tarzan and I had previously been big spenders and had the credit card debit and bad credit ratings to prove it, so we now live by a budget and a strict rule of NO credit cards. We learned the pluses of living on a budget the hard way, though I am sure our parents warned us before leaving for college. Cheetah has the joy of be raised by 2 cheap parents who refuse to give into his every whim. It is so easy to get wrapped up in giving him everything he asks for, while we may not be made of money, he is an only child and it does have its perks.
When Christmas came around Tarzan and I were appalled when Cheetah's wish list began growing by leaps and bounds, we decided that this would be the perfect time to try and teach him some perspective. He had asked for the PS3 game called Skylander's, I was down for it until I googled it and realized it was a scam! No only is the game $60 but you have to buy/collect all these different figures to complete the game. Once again, Tarzan came to the rescue...he informed Cheetah that this was a rather expensive item for a Christmas gift (especially for Santa) but we could come up with a way for him to EARN the money for the Skylander game. Cheetah wasn't thrilled but once he understood that he would have the game eventually he agreed to try to be patient and work for the money to spend on his game.
We came up with this chore list, things that Cheetah could do that would help us out and help him foster some skills of his own. He could earn up to 12 stickers a day (additional stickers could be given if behavior warranted it) and each sticker was worth a nickle. I was shocked to see such a swift change in his behavior, we have had to endure quite a bit of conversations revolving around Skylander's over the past weeks but it was worth it. If all goes well at school this week Cheetah will be buying the MEGA pack...and he is just beyond ecstatic!
This weekend we spoke of nothing but Skylander's and all the 'guys' he wants to buy, he said he'd be on his best behavior and work really hard! I'm a bit concerned that he may be the best kid in the world and that we'll be broke before next Christmas.
sounds like a good way to teach him some life skills (the chores) and the value of a buck! i remember opa being disappointed that i was (what he thought was) wasting money ... i told him "how can i know the value of a dollar if i never HAD one?"
ReplyDeletey'all are doing a great job!!!!
)never heard of the game, WILL be checking it out!)