Kids often don’t understand the value of money and one mom recently found this out the hard way.
In a video posted to TikTok, Julie (@jujumaddison), who has previously gone viral after she shared adorable texts from her landscaper, documented a family trip to the grocery store that went awry when her eight year old donated $100 to the store.
Too generous a donation
Julie’s clip begins with footage of her daughter and the child’s grandfather walking through the grocery store.
The text overlay explains what happened next: “When your dad hands your 8 year old daughter a $100 bill to pay for the groceries. And she immediately donates it at the register.”
The video then cuts to the child looking up sheepishly at the cashier.
“I’m so sorry,” Julie is heard saying to the store employee. The worker then cuts open the donation box with a plexiglass cutter and retrieves the $100 bill.
Even though Julie got the cash back, she was impressed by her daughter’s magnanimity.
“We love the trust and intention,” she wrote in the caption of the post.
TikTokers side with mom
The video received 14.1 million views. While most people were amused by the incident, one poster seemed to think it was poor form on Julie’s part to request the $100 donation be returned.
“That’s crazy to ask for it back,” they wrote in the comments.
However, many others said they would’ve done the same thing. One commenter thought those who took issue with Julie’s response should chip in $100 themselves.
“To the people mad they got their money back…please donate $100 right now cause HUH?” they wrote.
@jujumaddison we love the trust and intention
♬ Monkeyshine-JP – Lt FitzGibbons Men
Another person also claimed that cracking open donation bins due to overzealous child donors was a common practice.
“I had to break into the donation bin so many times as a manager. My favorite was when a kid put in 200, he was 5 the dad was defeated and said, ‘Son we are the poor,’” the commenter shared.
Another commenter pointed out, “Is nobody reading it was for the groceries lol.”
Kids and financial literacy
Cambridge Credit Union writes that many children seem to believe that “money … grows on trees.” This is attributed to a “vague understanding of how their parents get them food, clothing, and toys.” The counseling group urges parents to inform their children about the value of a dollar. This can be achieved by addressing five key points of understanding.
First is explaining what money is and how it functions in society. After this has been established, the next step is to instruct children on how money is acquired. Parents can also begin to allow their children to practice “savvy” shopping with small amounts of money. This allows them to learn, probably through trial and error, what are worthwhile purchases or not.
After this exercise has been conducted, breaking down the difference between fiscal “needs vs. wants” is key. When children know what to prioritize their spending on, they can be set up to make more educated financial decisions. Lastly, the concept of borrowing money, along with the pitfalls of debt and interest, should be explained.
The Daily Dot reached out to Julie via TikTok comment and Foodland Super Market via email for further information.
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