Is it ok to tell kids a certain food is expensive?

iluvdovi

Thu, Dec 05 2013, 2:08 pm

I dont have kids yet, but I have very definite opinions about parenting Wink

I think it depends on the age of the child. I definitely wouldnt tell a kid under 8 that something is too expensive, I wouldnt want my kids growing up with financial worries or to feel the need to pinch pennies.

By age 10 I think it's time that they learn so financial responsibility (ie starting allowances).

If you are buying coconut oil and your kids slather it all over everything and being that its so expensive you want to stretch it over a long period of time, maybe now is not the time to be buying such a thing? Perhaps wait until your children are older.

Also, parents are allowed to say no, without giving a reason.

RachelEve14

Thu, Dec 05 2013, 2:12 pm

My kids know that some things are expensive and treats, they have since they are 2 or 3 (even before they knew what "expensive" meant). They will sometimes ask me about something. They know we don't order pizza or buy yogurts or other treats because it's expensive, and they know some things are special for Shabbot.

greenfire

Thu, Dec 05 2013, 2:44 pm

now don't you wish you would have let them eat the butter ... they wouldn't have searched for a replacement & eaten the coconut oil ...

I think there's a right way to say everything ... just be gentle ... 'oh we don't eat globs of coconut oil - it's for cooking' ~ 'kindly eat a spoon of butter each so that everybody can have some'

ElTam

Thu, Dec 05 2013, 4:14 pm

I think it's okay. BUT, I think it's important to explain that you choose to stay in a budget so you shouldn't be in debt. Not as in "we can't afford it" but "we choose to live within our means."

Raisin

Thu, Dec 05 2013, 4:18 pm

bamamama wrote:

Isramom8 wrote:

I happen to think that butter is healthy, and I want my kids to eat more protein!
!

Did you mean peanut butter? There is no protein in dairy butter.

I don't think isramom thinks butter contains protein. She is ok with her kids eating butter, and as well, she wants her kids to eat more protein.

allrgymama

Thu, Dec 05 2013, 4:33 pm

For sure a 10 year old can understand that -- I've already started explaining to my four year old that 'we only have as much money as we have and if we spend it on this then we can't spend it on that.'

I would certainly expect a 10 year old to use more discretion.

sped

Thu, Dec 05 2013, 5:58 pm

I agree that there is a way and a way. I think there is a concept that things are expensive, and we save them for special times or uses, but again, not that this will affect having our daily needs.
When I go fruit/vegetable shopping and DS (3.5 yo) asks for an expensive fruit, I will sometimes say that it is too expensive and not for us. Other times I will buy a few and say it is expensive, so I am buying it only L'kavod Shabbos. Does he really understand? Probably not. But he getting that some things need to be limited for special times, but there is plenty for our basic needs.

FranticFrummie

Thu, Dec 05 2013, 6:16 pm

I always take DD with me, and as soon as she was able to understand numbers and dollars, we started talking about prices. We did math games in the grocery aisle all the time (still do). "If artichokes are a dollar each, how many artichokes would it take to buy an American Girl doll?" In the summer, "Oh look, artichokes are 4 for a dollar! How much would one artichoke cost?"

I would give her a dollar or two of her own to spend on nosh, and she'd have to look at the prices and figure out how much nosh she could get with her money. She'd add and subtract in her head, putting things in her basket, and then putting some of them back to get something else. Sure, it takes time, but it's so worth it for her to understand that money is a tangible thing, and not just "magic paper".

She understands the concept of when fruits are in season, and when cereal is on sale. Now she's an expert bargain hunter! B"H we always have healthy food in the house, so she's never feeling starved or deprived of anything.

If you start early and make it into a game, she'll have a big head start on some valuable life skills. Just make sure you NEVER go grocery shopping when you're hungry!

greenfire

Thu, Dec 05 2013, 6:27 pm

frantic frummie ~ that's an important lesson to be taught to anybody ... unfortunately I could talk to my kids till I'm blue in the face & they still don't understand comparison shopping or which store sells the same things cheaper - not to mention what's in season & on sale ... from coffee to raspberries to toilet paper ...

they opt for convenience while I opt for sale or wait it out

zaq

Thu, Dec 05 2013, 7:52 pm

Certainly I would. It probably helps very young kids understand if you explain further that for the same price as one of item A you can get 2 or 3 of Item B, or that item A is not a necessity and you would rather spend the money on item B which is more of a necessity, or that you are willing to spend the money on item A for Shabbat or YT but not for every day. But any way you do it, kids do need to learn that resources are not unlimited and one cannot buy everything that one sees.

Here's where giving kids an allowance helps them learn. They will see firsthand that they can't buy out the whole store; that if something costs a lot they may be able to buy it only after doing without and saving up for while; that they can get more for their money if they buy something cheaper, but they might get more enjoyment oit of having less of something pricier but better; and similar life lessons.

BrachaVHatzlocha

Thu, Dec 05 2013, 11:30 pm

yes, and I think it's important to know!

I tell my kids (not the baby, but the others- ages 6, 7, 9)if they want a certain snack, that it's expensive. I will not buy 50 cents snacks for schools when I can get them for half the price, especially when we go through so many.
I don't buy lebens and yogurts every week...they add up!
it's okay and important for kids to know that money doesn't grow on trees and you need to be careful how you spend.