Our kit finally arrived... with a September postmark. (Good thing it wasn't my mortgage or credit card bill or I'd be in trouble!)
The notes ask the children to pack for a week-long trip in a small box. So... I gave the boys a Huggies box and told them to go to it. They returned with the following items for their excursion:
10 books (including Bible)
teddy bear
Baikinman stuffed toy
GameBoy and games
note paper
pencils
"yadda-yadda" that records voices and talks back.
"Is that all you need?" I asked them.
"Yep," Elf told me proudly. "We packed everything!"
"Oh," I answered. "So... tonight after dinner, what are you going to do?"
*GASP* "Brush my teeeeeeeth..."
"With your...?"
"HANG ON!" Emperor yelped. The boys scurried about and got toothpaste, a toothbrush, one pair of underwear (I guess they're sharing?) three shirts and two pants. Now they're ready for anything.
OK! We watched the first two days of Chris's trip and assembled our "suitcase" for the boys' donations. I explained to the boys that we are not sending loose change in an envelope, but that any money they put into the suitcase would be doubled and placed on my credit card to the mission.
"So then, what happens to the money in the suitcase?" asked Emperor. (Well, I keep that...)
"You're KEEPING the money we send for the children?" (Um... yes... but I'm doubling it on my credit card and sending it in...)
I keep explaining it, but I'm not sure I have full "buy-in" just yet on the whole giving money thing. They still don't understand how it's perfectly HONEST for me to take the physical money out of the suitcase later and put other money on the credit card like that. Isn't that stealing?
I have to wonder if other Passport to India families are coming across this sort of problem, or if my children are the only ones not understanding that not all financial switcheroos are dishonest or wrong.
Mrs. C., Credit cards aren't real money, everyone knows that.
ReplyDeleteOh wait. I think I just figured something out....
I like the idea behind this. A very good lesson in this.
ReplyDeleteHad it been me, I would have simply slipped the envelope out when they weren't looking, put it all on my credit card and slipped the money back into piggy banks as I could. Yes, I would stoop to deception rather than trying to explain credit cards at that age. :)
Kids are really funny. Yes, it's really hard to explain some adult stuff to kids. Yes, I consider credit cards and bank accounts as some adult stuff. Yes, I'm talking as if I'm not a kid myself. Hey, wait, I'm sixteen! LOL. =]
ReplyDeleteI love it! lol
ReplyDeleteWhat a great project!
[smile] Well, a couple years back we had people ship us the coins they had collected... and shipping cost more than they had raised. Perhaps you can convince them that sending different money electronically, for the same amount as the cash, will save money in the end?
ReplyDelete~Luke