A Toy Story
by Ted "FunDad" Fuller ([email protected])
November 26, 1997

It all started last fall, when our daughter Hannah (almost 4) started displaying a severe case of the "I wants" whenever we ventured past the toy department.

The object of her affection was the full-size Buzz Lightyear action figure, complete with three voice-activation buttons, pop-out wings, and forearm-mounted laser. Having seen it 300 times on video, we (yeah, mom and dad too) had to have it. But Hannah also wanted the full-size talking Sheriff Woody doll too.

Where we probably would have plunked down $20 for Buzz without blinking an eye, dropping $40 for the pair struck a nerve that would make our Depression-era parents proud. So we compromised.

For the full-size Buzz Lightyear, we were willing to make a simple trade, albeit one that would require the ultimate sacrifice on Hannah's part: the pacifier had to go. She barely flinched; she said okay and was rarin' to go on the expedition. When the fateful day arrived, we made her take the pacifier and throw it away in the garbage can outside the toy store. (A stroke of genius on two counts: 1) she got rid of it, not us, and 2) it was long gone... no way could anybody dig it out.)

To get the Sheriff Woody toy, we wanted her to earn it and to learn her first personal finance lesson, too. (My wife Kathy gets all the credit for this.) We explained to Hannah how mom and dad save up for things they want; how dad gets paid for working hard; where all that money goes; and how we wanted to give her the same chance to do that.

We started giving her $2 on Sundays -- we call it "helping money." Each week we go over the ways she helped. Sometimes it's a short list of stuff that's expected of her (like brushing her teeth), other times, it's an amazingly long list of chores. It helps to remind all of us how she's helped, and lets us reinforce good behavior we want to see more often.

The real payoff is when she sees an ad, or wanders down the pink aisle at the toy store, and the "I wants" start. Our response is: "How much helping money do you have?" We warn her about junk, but we leave the decision about what to buy to her. If it is expensive, she has to save up for it. If it's a high-quality, expensive item, we might go "halfsies" with her. If it's a book, we'll gladly match the amount for more books on the spot.

We don't make loans against future earnings, but if her cash is at home, we'll advance her the money (and get repaid immediately upon our arrival home). And unless it's a nutso day at the store, Hannah pays the cashier in a separate transaction (otherwise she's paying us). This helps her on several fronts: She gets over shyness, learns to deal with a safe stranger, counts out her money and change, and gets a receipt.

Hannah saved every penny for Sheriff Woody. Since then, she's earned two or three Barbie dolls, a stroller for her baby dolls, and (thankfully) several books. Including, of course... Toy Story.

[Hey, Fools, let's talk about bringing up little Fools. Head over to the Family Fool message board.]

If you have some Foolish advice to pass along, send us your Family Fribble and see it right here in The Family Fool.

What's a Fribble? and how you can write one!

(c) Copyright 1997, The Motley Fool. All rights reserved. This material is for personal use only. Republication and redissemination, including posting to news groups, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of The Motley Fool.