Book Review

Book Review - Mom

Book Review - Mom, Can I Have That?
Of course, “Mom, can I have that?” is only the beginning. This book brings up over 100 questions kids typically ask parents about money, each followed by what parents are tempted to say and, finally, what Dr. Tightwad (financial columnist Janet Bodnar) prescribes.
“Why don’t you just go to the bank machine and get some money?” “How come Jessie gets a bigger allowance than I do?” “How much will you pay me to stay out of your way during your party tonight?” It’s all in here. (And, by the way, “Dr. T fervently hopes that you’re not going to dignify this [last] one with any answer.”)
The answers are mainly common sense, but Dr. T saves you the trouble of thinking them through. She acknowledges that some parents may disagree with her – she thinks kids should get lunch money out of their allowances, but also quotes a letter from a reader saying that lunch money, as it pays for a necessity of life, should be the parents’ responsibility.
Allowances – how soon, how much, what for – are covered thoroughly in a chapter called “The Main Event”. This chapter also emphasizes that they’re not “bonus cash” – settle the lunch money problem one way or the other, but don’t end up giving your child the money and packing a lunch.
There’s a chapter on money trivia -- there’s no such coin as the penny, it’s officially the “cent”. On the last page, the book sums itself up in three rules:
“Never say no unless you mean it.”
“Never say yes unless you want to.”
“Never say maybe if you can think of a better response – and having read this book, you can.”
Mom, Can I Have That? Dr. Tightwad Answers Your Kids’ Questions About Money is published by Kiplinger (1996, 182 pages).
Jane Wangersky is the author of In Small Packages: Gifts You Can Mail at Canada's Lowest Postal Rates. For more ideas on saving money, visit smallpackages.ca

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Book Review - Mom

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Book Review - Mom