Eighteen

"Ma, there's a high cut Converse shoes that I saw. It costs $89. I wanna get it."

I gave a disapproving look at my brother. I told him, and his twin, that I first spent money on personal items like shoes and shirts when I was a couple years older than 18. That when I was eighteen, I had to set aside portions of my NS allowance for Mum and stuffs like that. I told them to save.

"But we have saved quite a fair bit. So we wanna spend it. You recently bought your floorball stick, floorball shoes and your street soccer shoes."

Funny how they love to bring those points of arguments up whenever the need arise. I told them I bought those items when I was 23 - five years older than 18. I told them to save money for a rainy day. Whether or not they listened, I don't really care. I just hope that somehow, the importance of thinking before spending sticks into their heads.

Just like how I convinced them that spending hundreds on a camera is a waste of money and how that money could be used to buy a PlayStation 3. Only to ask them later, "Why waste money on a PS3 when you're already having fun playing games on your laptop?" They agreed. Some couple hundred dollars remain available for use on some other day.

They're growing up - both physically and mentally - fast.

I just realized that the past 5 years, the only reason why they're spending their own money on their own stuffs is coz dad's no longer around to buy these stuffs for them. Maybe, just maybe, I should be the one getting that Converse for him - that should probably last the next 5 years.