If I Was A Parent

I know some things are easier said than done. And I also understand I have probably just put a big target on my back. But I want to give this idea a shot. You are most welcome to tell me what you think….especially if you’re a parent!

Ellyse is a family friend. She is also a widow in her late thirties with three beautiful young children, all of whom are still at school. John passed away four years ago from cancer. He was 41. A great guy, hard worker, a fantastic father and husband.

Not surprisingly, life has been incredibly tough since John died. It’s not just the financial pressures but all the other pressures that come with wanting to be a good parent as well.

Kelly is the youngest, aged 7. She is button cute but unfortunately doesn’t have the same picture perfect smile as her eldest sister, Emma. Not many do.

About two months ago, Ellyse took all three kids for a dental check up and was shocked to learn Kelly needed four fillings. Ouch! It wasn’t just the cost of each filling (approx. $200 ea) but the shock of learning her kids dental health wasn’t what she thought. Someone was sneaking lollies!

Leading up to Easter was also a worry because some of the kid’s fondest memories of John were the Easter hunt every year. They loved it! Understandably she didn’t want to cut it out. She also knew her middle daughter used her pocket money to buy soft drinks on the way home from school each day.

Ellyse was stuck. She had that look on her face of, ‘what do I do’? I really felt for her.

The obvious thing would have been to cut out all sugar. But any comment like that would have felt like a kick in the shins. If it was that easy, this single Mum would have already done that.

It then got me thinking.

What would I do if I was a parent?

What if Ellyse was to pay her youngest child $0.25 every time she brushed her teeth? $0.50 per day would equate to $182.50pa. A few dollars shy of a tooth filling.

For her teenage children she could even offer them $1 per day ($30/mth) which could become their pocket money to spend on whatever…maybe a smart phone.

It might seem expensive but here is my reasoning:

I. Keep the money in-house – pay your kids prevention money instead of giving the dentist cure money.

II. Build good habits – use this as an opportunity to teach kids that our results come from our rituals. Kids get paid to build good personal habits which ultimately benefit them. Like most things in life, rarely do bad results come from one mistake. They often come from a bunch of little things. Weight gain is a good example.

III. Nothing for nothing – if you are going to shell out pocket money for phones etc. why not get something in return? It would be a good opportunity to teach kids you don’t get something for nothing.

IV. Emphasise the importance of good health – it might seem odd to pay kids to look after themselves, but, it also emphasises the importance of it. Invaluable!

V.  Savings plan – put a savings plan in place and incentivise them to save and not spend. It could be something as simple as saving 10% of everything they earn. There are lots of fun ways to be creative with savings. Start with a budget. Maybe even practice the law of tithing and donate 10% to a favourite charity. What a life lesson!

VI. Negotiate – yes there will be kids who try and cut corners and cheat the system. You were a kid once, you know what to do. Perhaps it could be a chance to teach children how to negotiate. Maybe put an offer on the table and talk it through together.

So what do you think? Could it be implanted into a family or does it have too many holes in it? Maybe it just needs more polish? Or should it be extracted all together?

Chew it over and let me know what you think.

Finally and most importantly, happy Mother’s day to all Mum’s, Grand Mum’s and Guardians this Sunday for doing the most important job on Earth! Thank you!

You still have to brush your teeth though. 😉

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