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 We're
Buying A Million
by Triana and Kostas Garcia
with Greco Garcia
From
Chapter I
Responsibilities
What
We Need to Learn First:
Responsibilities are like a job
When
we are growing up our parents teach us what to do and not
to do. When they teach us to do the necessary things, they
are teaching us "responsibilities."
Our
responsibilities are like a "job."
If
you do not fulfill your responsibilities at home, your parents
either get upset with you or they do not give you things
you asked for. As time passes, we learn to do these "responsibilities."
if we want to get permission to do something or if we want
them to buy us things.
As
they were growing up, I taught Triana and Kostas some responsibilities
like brushing their teeth, picking up the plates from the
table, taking a bath, doing their homework as soon as they
got home from school, having good manners, and helping around
the house with chores. As they got older the responsibilities
changed a little.
They
learned that if they didn't come through with their responsibilities,
I would not get them what they wanted or give them permission
to do things.
I
would tell them: "If you do not do your part (responsibilities),
I will not do my part." Think about this. When parents
don't do their job, they do not get paid at work. If they
don't get paid, nobody gets upset with them, yells at them
or gives them a time out. They simply do not earn money
to live on. Do you think this is a good thing or a bad thing?
The
lesson is: "Do you do your responsibilities at home?"
If
you don't carry out your responsibilities (job), do you
think your parents should give you permission or get you
the things you want? As we grow older, if we want to earn
money, we learn to do our job (responsibilities); if we
don't do or job, we have money problems. Now you will hear
from Triana and Kostas about what they have learned about
responsibilities and getting what they want.
Triana:
What do you think parents should teach their children about
responsibilities?
I think that parents should teach their children to do responsibilities
around the house. Like make their bed, clean up after themselves
after they eat, and take care of animals if you have one.
If
children don't do their responsibilities, what should parents
do about it?
I think that parents shouldn't give them a reward or permission
and they should talk to them about why it's important to
do what they are asked to do. When they grow older, this
will help them to be responsible with their work. If you
don't carry out your responsibilities at home and at school,
what happens? Well, there are different consequences for
each one.
First,
if I don't do my part my dad and mom sit me down somewhere
and they ask me what I did wrong. At school, there are different
consequences. If we don't do our homework, we get something
called guided study [a second chance]. If we do something
bad in class, we might get detention. And if we do something
really, really bad, we might get a referral or a suspension.
Also,
if our minutes add up from detentions, referrals, and suspensions,
then we can't go to school dances or fun activities. I learned
that if I do my part, I do my job, then I get what I want.
KOSTAS:
Tell us if it is important to do your responsibilities at
home and school.
I think it's important to do my responsibilities at school
and at home because if I don't, I won't be able to get things
that I want. For example, right now the PSP is what I want;
it's a portable game station and it costs about $350 with
tax. This is what I want, but my dad says if I buy the PSP
my money will disappear. If I do my part, maybe my dad will
split the money with me. That's why it's important to do
my responsibilities.
Tell
me what some of those responsibilities are. My part
is like a big job. And it has little jobs, like one of my
little jobs is to help my dad's and mom's life be easier
by helping them around the house. Or like when I get home,
I go straight to do my homework. All my little jobs add
up to one big job.
What
happens if you don't do your part? If I donŐt do my
part, my dad doesn't get mad at me—he just doesn't
give me what I want.
And
if you do your job, what happens?
And if I do my job (my responsibilities), I have learned
that I will get things and permission that I want
Do
you think your responsibilities are like a job?
Yes. Because just like my dad's or my mom's job, I have
little jobs that add up to one big job. And just like my
mom's or dad's work, they get paid, and I get paid with
my allowance. I also get paid with permissions to do whatever
I want.
What
do you think happens if your parents do not do their job?
If a parent doesn't do their job, then they won't get
any money and they won't be able to take their children
on vacation. They could also get into debt and they won't
be able to buy things, like a house or a car and new clothes
for their kids.
What
are you learning from sports? Do you think sports are like
work?
Yes, because you have to do things [responsibilities] like
be at the practices and games. You also learn to work with
people and be responsible, because your teammates count
on you. It helps to listen be consistent and not to give
up. So I'm learning not to give up, being able to depend
on other people and to not let the team down. I recommend
that kids play sports because it's fun and my dad says that
it will help you later in life with everything you do. What
you learn in sports can help you with your business or work.
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