![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.ghafla.co.ke\/ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/10\/jumbo2.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nRecently, I was jolted by a strict mother ahead of me on the line at the cashier\u2019s desk, at the mall. I kept thinking that she\u2019d given me an impetus to teach financial tenets to my five year old daughter.<\/p>\n
As always, the cashier\u2019s desk is massively loaded with trendy gizmos, flashy packed junk and whatnot – cunningly meant to squeeze out that last dollar.<\/p>\n
As the cashier ran the mother\u2019s groceries, the kid – perhaps four or five – picks a Superman model and says, \u201cMum, I think I\u2019ll pick this one today\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The mum grabs the toy and places it back. \u201cNo, Max, I can\u2019t afford that. You have to save for it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The kid bursts into tears. The mum, classic Kenyan-style, grabs an ounce of flesh under his sweater and pulls him away from the cashier\u2019s desk – with a handful of change in her hands.<\/p>\n \u201cListen, Max, this is my money. If you want to buy your stuff, save your money.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cBut, mum, am saving for a bike.\u201d<\/em> The kid, says, all teary. The mum is unmoved.<\/p>\n \u201cI know. If you also want Spiderman, too\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s SUPERMAN – not SPIDERMAN\u2026Muuuum!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t care, Max – you have to use your own money for your toys!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n They left the mall, but the mum left a lasting impression on the now silent queue. It was a valuable lesson for us all.<\/p>\n I confess a bad habit. Every time I had shopping chores, I would buy something for my daughter. This had over time made it seem normal for her, and she\u2019d rummage through the baskets the moment I got home.<\/p>\n Not today, Margaret.<\/p>\n As expected, Margaret was crestfallen when she couldn\u2019t find any of her usual bites – crisps, chocolates and themed toys.<\/p>\n \u201cI cannot afford those things, little one.\u201d<\/em> I tell her. \u201cYou have to now start saving to buy your toys and anything else you want.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n It takes a while, and a ton of tears and tantrums to instill this saving discipline, but it eventually pays off. The best time to teach financial discipline, and a saving culture – is as early as the kids learn to demand.<\/p>\n The next best time, is NOW.<\/p>\n Co-op Bank<\/a> has a transitional account that\u2019s a perfect tool to teach the saving culture to kids, and financial discipline that will be beneficial in their pre-adult and eventual adulthood. It\u2019s designed for children below the age of 18 years, for the safe keeping of money.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n