First, we're going to Disney World in a little while. We've been planning for over a year, and saving for it, so it's kind of far off in the kid's brain. But we are going and it's not going to be cheap, obviously. So we have a jar for money that's been filling up over time in order to buy cool things when we're there.
Second, we've been getting the Christmas wish list catalogs from Target for the last week or so. The Girl has already circled all of the things she wants and made a 5 page list of things for both birthday (mid-December) and Christmas.
Third, about 4 days ago, The Girl decided she was going to "save money" for a Zuppy. Or something like that. It's a robotic puppy, I think. I don't know, I can't keep up. The way she's saving said money is that she took the money out of one piggy bank and put it into another one marked specifically for this $30 toy. Then she finds change around the house (often in my purse or on my night stand) and puts in there like it's hers.
Last night, while we were moving piles of clean laundry, she spied a $5 bill that was in the laundry. She squealed with delight and went to put it in her bank. At that point, her dad told her to give it back, it wasn't hers. Then the fireworks began: yelling, crying, imploring. "But why can't I have it, I just found it?" "It's not fair, you didn't find it!" "I earned it!" (that last one is my favorite, she earned it by watching it fall out of the laundry that she refused to help fold or put away.)
One more bit of background: about a week ago, when we all went to see Big Hero 6, as we were getting in the car, I found a small piece of candy on the floor of the car that had obviously fallen out of a Halloween bag. I laughed and said "finders, keepers!" and offered to share it with her dad, who didn't realize I was sharing it with him and who ate the whole thing. (It was funnier than it sounds, since it was literally one of those mini- mini tiny bite sized ones, not even a "fun sized" one. Also, what the actual hell, who gives those tiny things out for Halloween? Buy the fun sized ones at least, you big meanies.)
Anyway, today I was instant message/text chatting with the BFF about our upcoming Disney trip and the whole dynamic of a kid begging for Christmas and birthday money well before a very expensive Disney trip is coming:
Seriously, she had "Vote" signs all over the house. Barbies were sitting out couches on the counter with "Vote for E, she's Awesome" signs in their wee Barbie hands.
She was ready for a debate, with a written argument and everything.
I guess she really is her mother's daughter.
She still didn't get to keep the $5.
