“Hey Brandy can I borrow five bucks?”. How many times did I hear this growing up? I truly couldn’t count. My brother was far from a saver and well I was a pro (I wish that I still had that ability). I was a walking money bank and yes I charged interest. The best thing is that my mom insured that I received payment plus the interest.
With a story like Three Cups to help our children learn the value of a dollar, I hope that parents can really help pound home the facts that are taught. Children today have no concept of money…they really don’t (did I just date myself)? For instance, my brother’s kids are up for the week and I took them all swimming. I couldn’t believe the times I heard “can we have this” or “I want this”. There are three of them and they were given an allowance of $15 that they had earned earlier in the week. They decided to pool their money together so that they could get a tube. This left them $10 to purchase lunch and snacks with. By the time they got everything up to the counter it was $17.00 worth of goods. Did they first think to put something back? Nope, it was we need more money aunt Brandy. Please can we have more money? We need this stuff. It was a lesson learned that day for them.
Three Cups was a heartwarming story about a boy’s 5th birthday. The boy received three cups for his birthday and was shocked that was his actual present. His parents explained to him a hard concept but one that I firmly believe everybody should learn. One cup is for spending, one cup is for saving and one cup is for charity. I firmly believe in all three of these aspects and that for the last one charity could be a variety of events. For many this idea will be tithing or the collection plate at church. For others this will be charity auctions or even purchasing items that needy families need.
Not only does the concept of Three Cups enforce being able to provide for the things we want and need it helps teach a valuable lesson outside of money, caring for others. The charity cup will help install values which are becoming less and less in our society. Humility, sharing, caring, and just helping those around us.
Three Cups will be on our shelf for years to come. While I don’t make Cory read any of the books I receive I made sure he read Three Cups. Cory was very impressed as well and for a man who hates to read and doesn’t see a huge value in it for pleasure, he is in agreement that our boys will hear this story often.
