Joni, my good friend and wave mate in Citigroup, shared with
me a valuable idea on how to save money for kids, which I now practice for my
own children.
In one of our chit chats when we were still officemates in
Makati, she shared with me that she keeps a savings account for her daughter. What
is interesting in this particular account is that, what she deposits
there is not her personal money but her daughter’s. At the time of our
conversation nearly 10 years back, she said that her daughter’s savings was
roughly at around Php20,000.00, which her unica hija received from christening and
from Christmas presents year after year.
I was still childless at that time, but her idea lingered in
my mind and has influenced me, now that I am a mother too. I thought, since I
am not born rich, it would be nice to leave my children with some funds that
rightfully belongs to them. All I need to do is to safe keep every single peso
that they receive from other people.
It is part of our Filipino culture to give money to young
children in different occasions. During christenings or dedications, godparents
and guests offer “pakimkim” for the
baby. During Christmas, godparents, relatives, or family friends may also give cash
“aguinaldo” to children in lieu of
toys. There are also certain old beliefs that if it is your first time to meet
a child, giving cash present to the little one may bring good luck.
I first opened a kiddie savers account at the HCCSCO cooperative
for my son Vladimir a few days after his christening. I also opened another one
for my daughter Hillary when she was born. Soon, my youngest child Deirdre will
also have her own.
I must admit that at times when I’m broke, I’m compelled to
touch their accounts to make ends meet. So I list their supposed total amount
of savings at the back portion of their passbooks, for me to not forget how
much I owe them. Of course I am determined to replenish what I borrow from them
because at this point, I can’t say yet that I have wealth to leave them with
when I’m gone.
My kids’ savings accounts are my constant reminder and
inspiration that I should not leave them empty handed. This is a must, for this
is biblical.
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