I Don't Know, I Found It That Way ...

I think kids these days don't really know how to value their own property. They have this weird thinking that their parents are rich with limitless funds. Take my kids for example, just yesterday wifey discovered that the older boy broke his new school knapsack which was only given to him just last week to replace the earlier one that he also broke. One that we went around the entire city looking for, one that was made out of strong hand sewn canvas. How he broke the first one we got him, don't ask me. Some things are not meant to be answered.

And even then, after breaking it, he kept quiet about it. Wifey discovered it quite by accident when she was cleaning up the place. Even after he destroyed his first bag he kept quiet about it. I'm glad I wasn't him yesterday cos the earful he got from her was enough to wake the dead ... LOL!

But seriously though, I can't speak for other kids but my own kids really don't know how to value their stuff. They want everything they see out there and when you buy it for them they practically destroy, break or loose it the very next week! It can make your blood boil at times.

We've been telling the boys that they need to look after the things we buy for them over and over again and you'd think they would listen, not in a million years. My younger boy has so many toys and he destroys them all, books we buy for him are found dog-eared, scribbled on and torn in a matter of weeks. And the thing that really drives wifey up the wall is when she asks them what happened to their stuff, they just shrugged and say,

'I don't know, I found it that way.'

Yeah, we have this little invisible goblin in the house going around destroying all their stuff! It stupefies me why they can't value their stuff. Some of the things we buy for them are not cheap. A watch we bought for my elder boy for Christmas was lost in a matter of months and he doesn't even know how he lost it. A replacement watch that was given to him had the strap and a couple of other things broken not too long as well.

I wonder if they really know that we actually have to use real money to buy them these stuff. I remember back when I was a kid I used to value all my stuff. I have comics that are still in mint condition from the time of my secondary school days. I used to take care of all my stuff and would treat them like they were gold or something. You wouldn't find me destroying or taking apart all my toys. I'd scream bloody murder if any of my cousins even as much as mishandled any of my property.

Even up to this day, I take great care of my stuff, sometimes to the point of 'over-caring' for it, for want of a better word. A watch wifey gave me 9 years ago is still in excellent working condition and I use it for work everyday at that, but give my boys a watch and you can be sure it's either going to be broken or lost in a few months time.

That's one reason why this morning we bought this really cheap unbranded watch for the older boy that only cost RM10.00! It's not that we don't want to buy him a good and decent watch. At least if he loses or destroys (which we know he will) this one, we both won't feel so 'heart sick'. I guess we both should start looking for anything that is on cheap sale if we're ever going to buy them stuff, at least until they learn to really value their stuff. It sure would save us a lot of money!
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