The $2 Poinsettia

Teaching kids about money is a challenge.  I am not very good at it, believe it or not, and I'm afraid that I'm not teaching my kids the right way to budget or the importance of saving early.  I am not a very disciplined person and I'm not the mom who gets the allowance out every Sunday (even though I mean to every single Sunday) and I don't do a good job of making them budget for the big things.  I mean to, but I never get around to it.

My frustration with my own shortcoming was unfortunately taken out on my son last night and he fired back with a lesson that hit me square in the heart.

Justin and Annalise both participated in a military kid study several months ago and they each got $15 for it in the mail yesterday.  I gave them their cash and told them they could do what they wanted with it.  I was certainly not a deprived child and I never went without anything I wanted, so I'm not sure how I wound up this way, but I am a neurotic saver.  I hate spending money and I feel so much better when I make a deposit into the savings account than when I buy that gorgeous pair of shoes.  When I handed their cash to them, I assumed that they would proudly deposit the money in their piggy banks and leave it there to count later as I would have done as a child. 

I am not my child and my child is not me.  Repeat.

We went to buy a Christmas Tree last night and Justin had his $15 in his pocket.  I was wandering through the pine tree aisles when he came over to me, wearing a proud smile on his face, and handed me a little poinsettia plant with a gold wrapper. The words flew out before I even thought through them and I said something along the lines of, "Seriously?  What did you spend your money on now?" 

Mouth in gear, brain in neutral. That never ends well.

The smile flickers for a moment and he says, "I bought it for you, Mom.  It was only two bucks..."

Oh, it gets worse.

I groveled all night and tried to save myself by justifying my response to him.  I was a hopeless mess babbling mindless stories about why it's important to save and how we will buy him the things he needs.  He listened politely and didn't say much so I filled the silence with more mindless babble about things he really didn't care about.  I ended by reminding him that the greatest gifts I ever get are things he makes me.  I asked him to make me a card for the flowers. "To Mom, From Justin" or something like that.

When we got home, he asked me for a notecard and pen so that he could write a label for my flowers. He disappeared for much longer than usual so I thought that maybe he was drawing me a battle scene or something like that.  Nope.  Way wrong.  This is what I got:

Trust me, I know that there are many battles and life lessons to come.  I know I have lots to improve on when it comes to being a good Mom.  I know, I know...don't waste time patting myself on the back.  I know all of that, but right now, I know I have done something RIGHT.