Just like that, a week has gone by. Tomorrow’s Friday once more and Sam will be home for the weekend. Speedy will pick her up late in the afternoon and I bet they will go through the whole “I haven’t eaten lunch yet” routine again. What routine is that? Okay, let me explain.
Sam gets a weekly allowance that covers three meals a day (she doesn’t bring cooked food anymore because she moved from the condo to a dorm) plus a little extra for unexpected expenses. Her toiletries come from the house. Her bottled water, bath soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, toilet paper, deodorant… all these I buy together with the weekly grocery and Sam just brings what she needs. Lately, however, her list of what to bring every week has gotten longer and longer. Instant noodle soup which isn’t even included in our regular grocery items (in case she’s too busy to go out and buy food), cereal bars with specific brands and flavors (quick breakfast because there are days when her classes start at 7.00 a.m.), bottled juice (has to be Minute Maid)… With all those extras, of course, she is able to save a substantial amount of her weekly allowance. She has a fat wallet, I tell you. Really fat.
You’d think too that with all those extras, there wouldn’t be any reason for her to skip meals. But, every Friday, she skips lunch. She waits for her father to arrive and the moment he does, she greets him with “I haven’t eaten lunch yet.” What’s a father to do, right? Especially a father who hasn’t seen his daughter for a week? So, Speedy brings her to wherever she wants to eat and pays for the food leaving Sam with an even fatter wallet.
But it isn’t just Sam who utilizes that gimmick. Even when they were still both in high school, they were given monthly allowances and the agreement was that if they wanted to go out with friends or buy some things, they’d take it out of their allowance. Books and clothes (including shoes and bags) were on Speedy and me. And food. But things like nail polish and whatnots, well, those were on them. Supposedly. As agreed upon.
But these girls… Alex, especially. They’d wait until we’re out over the weekend. Weekends, it’s mostly just a movie and dinner out. Oh, but they’re so good at dragging us inside stores and then start with lines like, “Mommy, can we buy…?”
Naturally, I ask, “Where’s your money?”
And the very convenient answer, “At home. I left my money at home.”
And they’d ask me to pay for their purchases with the promise to pay me back as soon as we got home.
But, see, I have this fault. I forget. When Speedy owes me, I never forget and I exact payment to the last centavo. But with the girls, I tend to be forgetful most of the time. The even bigger problem is they are more forgetful than I am. If they’re not reminded, they happily forget that they’re supposed to pay me back. If I count the times when they forgot their wallets and I had to pay for their purchases, I’d say that nine out of ten times, I never got paid.
Sounds like a familiar strategy, Connie
Ang tawag dyan, Connie…”mukhang naiisahan ka…” (to be right about it…nadadalawahan ka…) Hmmm, better take those memory boosting capsules pronto. Hahaha!~;)
Speedy says it’s heritage ’cause I used to do similar things to my parents hahahaha
ayan karma
I never did that, maski sa mga sisters ko… Nuon yun nung college ako at dependent sa kanila. Sobrang hiya at ingat ko to be accused of abusing their generosity, ibang-iba sa situation nang mga girls mo… HOWEVER, I do this now with my sisters — hirap pala kumita/mag-ipon nang pera as OFW (with family) haha So now I ask/bug/beg them to buy me stuff
Hahaha! That’s what I call a neat trick.
Wise girls! They will get rich sooner than you do.
Sana katulad mo nanay ko. Hindi na sinisingil ang mga utang ko.
Maglilista na ako! HAHAHAHA
Napaisip nga ako. Ganito rin kaya ang gagawin ng mga anak namin paglaki nila? Konting lambing lang binibigay na ng daddy nila ang gusto nila… which is my opposite. Pero pag laki kaya nila, mapapaikot na rin nila ako? LOL
This is one of those few things that we love our kids to con us. Haha.
Money won’t hurt us but ingenuity and honing survival skill is hard to teach.
Congratulations to Sam!
Naku..I always do that to my parents until now! haha I’m like, hey how can you say no to your kids? Lalo na when I make the pouty face..haha Bratinella! Lol
Connie, you’re not alone. My son does that to me too. I provide him with funds to cover his monthly budget for everything including gasoline. But whenever he picks me up at the airport, I always notice that his gasoline meter shows an almost empty gas tank and so I would say, “Let’s fill up your gas tank”. But I always end up paying for a full tank of premium gasoline. I always let this pass but I’m tempted to say, “You have a budget for gas.”
Sige na lang, I console myself. I’m a mother who wants to feel needed.
I guess that’s the trend now. As I have mentioned earlier, my eldest son has employ the same tactic. The only difference though, whenever he would say “I’ll pay you ma when we get home”, he really pays me. But it’s true also that whenever he would give me his savings (for his bank account) from his school money, I will have to pay all the things that he needs to buy.
Just recently, he bought a wrist watch out of his savings without consulting me. It was okay but I know that it would not last long. Previously, before school opening, I asked him if he wants me to buy him a wrist watch so that he wont have to check the cellphone whenever he needs to check the time. But he said no need to buy one as he’s a public commuter going home and doesnt want to risk losing the watch to snatchers. But now that he needs one “daw” for his school experiments, he bought one. I have a feeling ayaw lang nya yung design na gusto ko bilihin for him
.
On that note, I also would like to know how you feel about giving a credit extension card to Sam? It was brought to me by one of the parents in school last summer. He gave his son kasi an extension that the son could use while taking a summer review class somewhere in Ortigas. He said it’s for convenience when the kid needs to buy something important. He even added that the practice would teach his son to be a responsible borrower & consumer…
Naku, that has been a bone of contention for months — the credit card extension. I DON’T THINK SO. They have an allowance that is more than enough for things they need in case of emergencies. I think a credit card extension will confuse them even more as to that they “need” vis a vis what they “want.”
As to being a responsible borrower — I think that is only relevant for people who already EARN and they pay for what they buy on credit. I don’t see the value in allowing someone to buy on credit knowing someone else will pay.
Hahahaha…
The sound of you made me laugh kasi that was exactly how I felt when the parent friend shared it with me. Not that I question the judgment call of my parent friend, but I/we still yet to see an instance when my kids needed something badly that we (my husband & I) were not around. I think its case by case basis nga, the parent friend is a very busy businessman and his wife is also busy with her profession.
Parang ano din yan eh, yung making the TV the babysitter because the parents are too busy. Just give the kid a credit card so you don’t have to accompany him when he needs something.
You’re right again…
Pero ano nga kaya? Would it do good sa bata?
The kid is exposed to early decision making process, magiging street-smart sya at he/she will learn to know kung ano talaga ang gusto at kailangan nya at an early stage. Kasi regardless as to who will pay, the idea of the kid deciding for himself on getting something without his/her parents supervision and face consequences later — kung di tama ang nabili nya. Di ba it’s a lessons that we can’t just tell/teach the child? It’s first hand experience and we all know that “experience” is the best teacher.
Mahirap talaga maging magulang, wala kasi template na pwede sundan. Parang it’s all common sense but sense is not always common.
Thought provoking ba or waste of time? Hope it’s the first one.:-)
I suppose much depends on the age and maturity of the child. If he has already shown mature attitude in the past, it might be viable. Personally, I think the risks involved in credit is something for someone who already earns his keep. A person never really knows the value of money until he is obliged to live with what he earns.
True. Never a credit card extension to a minor. One cannot teach the pain of spending until the person pay the credit card bills and interest.
a money saved is a money earned.
Maglilista ka na, Connie? E, ang problema, pagdating sa bahay, makakalimutan mo rin maglista! hehehe…
I will do self-hypnosis so I won’t forget HAHAHAHA
Connie, I console myself with “Balang araw my son will reciprocate.” That will be the day! Maglista na rin kaya ako. Ok lang yan, Sam, to ask your Dad to buy you lunch on Friday and your let your Mom pay the extras at the mall on weekends, as long as you give her the food photos you took.
“as long as you give her the food photos you took”
YUN! MISMO!!!!
Do you know that there was a time when she wanted to SELL her food pics TO ME? P500 daw per pic! Aba, aba, aba… Neknek nya. Pinagnegosyohan pa ‘ko.
Kakatawa talaga…our children… ako rin pala, minsan rin biktima ng anak ko… I pay him 5% of the total amount of cookies that my customer (the one na may coffee shop sa San Beda) pays me— that’s because he’ll carry the big container from our house to the gate to give the person picking up the stuff. Eh minsan, keep the change na…not only minsan pala, madalas…;) And naka-save siya ng big amount because of that…
She has the makings of a businesswoman. lol
dear ms connie,
hi. i have been a reader/follower of your house on a hill for quite some time now. this is part of my daily thing with my pc,after a friend of mine told me about this. i most specially love your recipes (i have cooked some, thanks a lot, to the delight of my family) and the mommy journals.
but this time, i have to comment because i can really relate, with my 2 college kids, one in uplb and one in diliman . well, they all have the same style!!! and it does work huh?
more power to you!!!!
LOL yes, it does work. Poor us mommies. hehehe
good that it’s just ordinary flu for alex.
btw, my eldest,too in uplb, was with colds, sore throat, this week. it’s really everywhere… haay, it’s hard since she will just be home later today…..
This situation reminds me of my daughter when she was in high school. She will always ask for extra three sandwiches baon every school day to share with her classmate friends. Yun pala itinitinda na niya. Nalaman lang ni CIC nang mapuna nyang madaling nauubos ang candy stock sa bahay.
He he he, the funny thing – yung kinita niya ay pang Jollibee or pang McDo nya pag nagkayayaan silang magkaiskwela.
HAHAHAHA Ang husay! Pucha that’s an entrepreneur. My daughters share their food — will tell them to SELL instead. mwahahahaha
Hay reminds me of one of Speedy’s bosses.
Loves to borrow/advance money from his employer. Always proposes a payment schedule which he never adheres to.
Then, when the time comes that the amount that has built up over the months/years has to be deducted from say, his 13th month pay and the 13th month pay is depleted, he will actually say in all earnestness that it’s like he “worked for free”. HUH?!?
Hay kanya-kanyang style. Nakakatuwa pag bata but up to a certain age, di na nakakatuwa..
Makes me wonder, should we as parents try to curb such seemingly innocent “switek” behaviour in our children while they are young? Dilemma talaga minsan..
One of Speedy’s bosses?
yup
Blind item! Para hindi libelous
Na-intriga ako sobra.
Ms. Connie,
Hi! I did a marathon of your entries today
I couldn’t help but comment on this particular entry since it’s so familiar to me. Back in college,I was guilty of everything Sam is doing now. I kept giggling while reading your article. I could imagine my mom ranting exactly the same concerns you have. haha!
In my point of view, everything was done for survival and adaptation. It’s hard to live away from home. Temptations and peer pressure everywhere. Cost of living is high. Friends are always on the go to ask you to try new restos and leisure activities. So “saving up” is necessary to afford the lifestyle away from home unless you want to be left behind during barkada getaways
No worries, I did it to my parents too HAHAHAHA My father, especially.
Parang ganyan ang kapatid ko. She has a pretty big allowance but when she gets home, she’ll always ask my mom to give her pambayad sa tricycle (with an alibi that she has no loose change). Her allowance is supposed to cover food, fare, pang-load and other expenses like photocopying. I always tell my mom to give her but deduct it from her allowance the next day, but my mom tells me “hayaan mo na baka gutumin yan sa school eh.”
I went to a public school kaya I sometimes I can’t put up with other kids who already have much and still ask for more. Pero minsan mas OK na yun kesa they steal or get money elsewhere, basta they behave ok na rin.
Pasensya nga pala sa late comments. I just found out recently about your blog eh (I found your page when I was searching for Noritake’s Sale schedules). I read a handful of blogs and usually marathon ako magbasa. I prefer reading witty blogs like yours, and laging updated kaya laging worth it ang pag-visit. Keep it up!
me too! i’m guilty of doing that deed. hehehe! until now khit may trabaho na ako, minsan ngpplibre p rin kay papa. why do parents do this eventhough they know they were just tricked by their children? tpos eto nmn kaming mga anak umaabuso din. hehehe!
P.S.
ms. connie, i juz stumbled upon your 2 sites (houseonahill & pinoycook) when i was searching for a recipe last december but never got a chance to read the entire content of your site until january. from then on, i’m hooked. i’m doing extra reading to catch up on what i’ve missed. hehehe! pde k n mgpublish ng sariling mong magazine just like oprah & kris aquino. (i mean it.) more power & God Bless!
LOL Thanks. Oprah na lang, wag na Kris Aquino hehehhe