Few things draw snarls, glares or eye-rolls from parents like a child asking them for money. Sometimes rightfully so after witnessing a barrage of, "Can I have a quarter? Can I have a dollar? Can I have this? Can I have that? Mommy, where's your purse?" And on and on and on.

It's a tiring and uncomfortable scene like something out of the Office. My cousins were terrible about this and had a knack for ruining each and every shopping trip when we were kids by badgering my aunt until she would cave - and she would always cave. We've worked hard to avoid this with our kids.

So last week, when getting ready to go with some friends to a musical put on by the local theater group, the Mrs. told our daughter to pick out a purse to take for the money she would need to get in.

So when hearing that she would need to take money, what was her first reaction?

Now remember, she's 5.


Did she run to us, open purse in hand, asking for said money?
No.

Did she run to mommy's purse and start to fish it out herself?
Nope.

Her first reaction was to ask for help with getting her piggy bank down. We gladly informed her that it wouldn't be necessary, and that we would pay for her ticket, she only had to manage to get the money from the house to the theater without losing it.

Now this didn't happen by chance and her attitude towards money is not a passing phase. Over the coming weeks, we'll detail some of the methods we've used to teach our first child about money and plan to use with her sister as well.

We bought her a piggy bank for a reason, and it was not a novelty!

Stay tuned.