My newly nine year-old: MOM! I CAN GET A JUSTIN BEIBER CREDIT CARD! SIGN ME UP PLEASE!
Me: [seriously? Before I barf directly into her face can anyone confirm that such a thing exists?]
Me: No. You’re not getting anyone’s credit card. Do you realize that every time I use our credit card that we have to pay the bill back in real money? It is not free. Nothing about a credit card is free. Same goes for Justin Beiber.
Her: But I just want it.
Me: Right. Do you understand how a credit card works? I pay the bill for every credit card, once a month. We could never control how much money you spend if you had a credit card. You are nine years old. I would rather give you cash to buy things–at least this way I could control how much you buy.
Her: [pause, thinking] I’ll take the cash…
Me: Nice try. [[leaving room]] Here, have the TV remote. You can’t buy anything with that.
Her: Yeah. I can.
Me: …….
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Cassandra can be found on Twitter @aclevergirl. Learn more about her family’s unique challenges and why they have hope for a cure for muscular dystrophy at byrdsforacure.org.