Eating Ants
Most parents are too uptight. At least half the joy of life is raising kids. So when Big Papa found that one of our Russian boys had returned the jar of honey to the cabinet without replacing the lid, and 4000 ants were floating in it face down...
...I knew we had some L&L (laughing and learning) on the way. When Kolya came to stay with us in April, the first thing I noticed was that he did not value money or possessions. He would leave his shoes outside for the dog to carry off. It never occurred to him that an open door wasted heat or cool air. He would put a single garment in the washer and dryer without any thought of the cost. Almost every action reflected his lack of responsibility. It was a challenge I could not resist.
He had one great virtue. He loved to work, even better than fishing and swimming. We believe the workman is worthy of his hire, so when he did work other than the daily, routine, household chores, we paid him by the hour. Amazingly, he did not value his hard-earned money either. He would dump all his earnings into the first bubble-gum machine that came in sight. When I advised him not to spend his money unwisely, but to save it, he would look puzzled and say, “For what?”
So I made it my special project to answer that question for him. Remember, children don’t learn anything when placed under stress—other than to avoid the person that burdens them. So as you teach, have a little fun and tie some strings of fellowship.
When the occasion demanded, which was often, I would say, “Kolya, you will never be a rich man.” When he would turn his puzzled face to me, I would explain how many hours he would have to work to replace his $8.00 pair of shoes and what he could have bought if he had been more diligent. He had to spend his money to replace lost clothes, shoes, towels, etc. I explained that the washing machine costs money to run, and that he would have to do everybody’s laundry if he wasted water and electricity.
On many occasions I cheerfully described the many things he could buy if his money was not used in paying for his folly. I explained to him that a man accumulates wealth by being frugal. I pointed out that a bicycle left in the driveway would leave him walking. Food left out to spoil would leave him with nothing to eat. If he would ever be rich, he would have to preserve what he had, or he would spend all his money replacing a few meager possessions.
Koyla is a fast learner. When he saw that he had a hole in his pocket and that it was his money running out, he began to act more responsibly. He obviously enjoyed the extra attention he received when we reminded him of his folly. As his bank account (a special hiding place) grew, he began to comb through magazines that advertised guns, bicycles, knives, fishing gear, camping equipment, and even pickup trucks.
