When you have kids, you only hope they’ll listen to you. You hope they know when to take you seriously. In my case, if I raise my voice, I hope they know I mean business. I try not to overuse it, or yell, but I have tried to perfect my ‘mom-means-business, wow-she-sounds-serious’ tone. Tried and failed. ‘Girls, pick up this mess’ gets the same reaction as telling the best joke ever.

These girls aren’t brats. I’m just that funny. They do listen. Sometimes.

When I was a kid, my mom was the least scary mom. Ever. Quiet. Never really raised her voice. When my brother came along, we started to team up and find it hilarious when she tried to discipline us. The face, the voice…the it was all hysterically funny. Were we brats? No. Not at all, but it certainly wasn’t her mean face or serious tone that caused us to do as we were asked.

Fast forward to 2010.

My girls are definitely testing me. It used to be that I could bug out my eyes and speak in a serious tone and they would listen. Or, just staring at them silently showed them I wasn’t joking. Now, they appreciate the silence. They’d appreciate me not barking at them and just go about their business of ignoring me. Now I’m just another source of amusement. Do I want them to find me very scary? No, I don’t. Do I want them to find me a little scary? Maybe. Do I want them to take me seriously? Absolutely. Do they take me seriously? Never. They laugh and laugh, and say things like, ‘Oh, mama. You’re so funny’ when I tell them the consequence for not listening, picking up, sitting down.

It doesn’t help that Joe finds it pretty funny, too. He can’t hide a smile or laugh for anything. He also doesn’t realize that he can leave a room before he cracks up.

To them, I’m not scary. I’m just funny Mom. The one who needn’t be taken seriously. The one always good for a laugh. The one who would have a 24/7 time out if she followed through every single time someone didn’t listen to her. I definitely don’t want to be that mom. I can’t be that mom. But seriously, how long will I still l find this funny? How long before I have ruined my chances of ever getting results from my serious voice?

Do your kids find you funny when you absolutely do not intend to be?

A few weeks ago, I was taking out the trash. I went down to the garage with my girls entertained with Max and Ruby. When I came back up, not 5 minutes later, they were watching 8 Mile (with Eminem) and they were watching it On Demand for $2.99. My oldest didn’t realize that she spent money, and couldn’t quite grasp the concept when I explained it to her.

How about today, when I went upstairs to find my daughter searching the iTunes store? I, again, tried to explain that things cost money, but all she understood was that she gets what she wants by pressing a button.

Growing up, my mother and father always gave themselves on allowance. To this day, they have never had an ATM or a debit card. They walk into the bank and make face-to-face deposits with the tellers who know them by name.

In our household? I rarely carry cash, I use my debit card for everything. This works for me, but how am I supposed to teach children the value of money when they never actually see it in use? The concept of online banking and debit/credit cards isn’t something that a 5 year old should understand.

I desperately want my girls to understand the value of money and the importance of saving for something you need or want. My oldest is in a bit of a ‘gimme’ phase. She wants everything she sees. She NEEDS everything she sees. I do my best to explain that we make a certain amount of money, and some goes here…some goes there…and some gets saved. That leaves a small amount for other things, but not for every single thing that we want. It doesn’t really sink in. Is it possible for them to understand this at all? Can I effectively teach them to manage money without putting a set amount in an envelope and writing everything I spend on the outside like my mother did?

I’m curious what others do to ensure that your kids grow up with a sense of money and budgeting. Anyone?

According to An Island Life:

“In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.”

Tomorrow we are celebrating my youngest daughter’s 2nd birthday. Just a small family party with a only a few kids…We’re so excited and can’t believe she is already almost 2!

My question today:

What is the best ‘goodie’ that your child has gotten in a goodie bag? I’d like to do something different, but useful…not something that gets thrown away the minute you get home and has parents asking why we bother!

If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link at today’s installation of Aloha Friday at An Island Life. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!