Fun Friday – When kids try to help



This is how it looks when youth help with grocery shopping.

Do you remember when your child was not quite big enough to accomplish certain tasks, but he tried anyway? When my son was younger he used to try and carry the gallon milk jug.  Usually he was holding it high at his chest with two hands and his back arched. He always seemed to make it to his destination without a disaster.

Sometimes when your child tries to help everything turns out okay and other times, parental guidance is needed. As my teen son as grown, I have encouraged him to take on more mature responsibilities.

“As a college student, you have to be able to speak up and ask questions about your education,” I told my son this on more than one occasion.

“Ok, I’ll go to financial aid on Monday, they’re closed today,” he said.

I was so proud of my son when he called the other day and said he went to financial aid office to inquire about his tuition payment.

“Good job,” I told him and gave a virtual high five. He also sounded proud of himself.

“The counselor said we need to make a payment on the balance before I can register for next semester.”

“Oh, ok we can pay something on it,” I said.

“I told him I would pay half,” my son replied.

“WHAT? You’re going to pay half of whose money? You don’t have a job.” I think my hair stood straight up on my head in shock. My first thought was, I’m going to have to do damage control and call and tell the financial aid office how much “we” can really pay.

My son was doing his part to help by making a commitment to a pay on his account. This was one time I wished he had consulted before helping. My next parenting lesson will be to teach my son to be financially responsible with his money rather than mine.

What type of things does your child do when he thinks he’s helping?