Jimin's Lesson in Saving
It had been about two or three months since we started giving Jimin her weekly allowance. At first, she seemed to be following our advice about saving, but as time went on, I noticed her piggy bank wasn't getting any heavier.
One day, as I was walking home from work, I saw Jimin coming out of a convenience store, happily slurping on a colorful drink.
"Hi, Jimin! What's that you're drinking?" I asked.
Jimin grinned, "It's a new fruit slush, Mom! It's really good. I've been trying different drinks every day."
I raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. I remembered seeing her eating tanghulu (candied fruit skewers) the other day too. It seemed Jimin had developed a habit of buying snacks and drinks with her allowance.
A few weeks later, as we were having dinner, I mentioned, "Jimin, do you remember? Grandpa's birthday is coming up next month."
Jimin's eyes lit up. "Oh, yes! What should we get him?"
I smiled, seeing an opportunity for a lesson. "Well, what do you think Grandpa would like? Is there anything you'd like to give him?"
Jimin thought for a moment, then said excitedly, "I know! Grandpa's phone case is really old and worn out. Let's buy him a new one!"
I was a bit surprised at how quickly and easily Jimin suggested buying something. "That's a nice idea, Jimin. But remember, this is your gift to Grandpa. You should use your own money to buy it."
Jimin's smile faltered. "My... my own money?"
I nodded. "Yes, sweetie. You've been getting an allowance, remember? This is a perfect opportunity to use the money you've saved to buy something special for someone you love."
Jimin's eyes began to water. She looked down at her plate, her lower lip trembling. "But... but I don't have enough money saved."
"What do you mean, Jimin? Haven't you been saving part of your allowance like we talked about?"
Tears started rolling down Jimin's cheeks. "I... I'm sorry, Mom. I spent it all on drinks and snacks. I thought I didn't need to save because I could always get more allowance next week."
My heart ached seeing Jimin so upset, but I knew this was an important lesson. "Oh, Jimin. It's okay. We all make mistakes. But do you see now why it's important to save?"
Jimin nodded, sniffling. "I keep thinking about all those snacks I didn't really need. If I hadn't bought them, I could have bought a really nice gift for Grandpa."
I gave Jimin a hug. "That's right, sweetie. Sometimes we have to give up small pleasures now for something more important later. That's what saving is all about."
"I'm sorry I didn't keep my promise to save, Mom," Jimin said, wiping her eyes. "Can I start over?"
I smiled and nodded. "Of course you can. Let's make a new plan for saving for Grandpa's gift. This time, we'll think about how to do it together."
Jimin's face brightened a little. "Okay, Mom. I'll do better this time, I promise."
As we sat down to make a savings plan, I felt proud of Jimin. Yes, she had made a mistake, but the important thing was that she had learned a valuable lesson about the importance of saving and planning for the future. I hope and pray that this experience will stay with Jimin for a long time to come.
The History and Etymology of 'Saving': Along with Jimin's Lesson
Jimin's situation of not being able to buy a gift for her grandfather because she couldn't save her allowance is actually a common instructive story in the long history of human saving.
The word 'Saving' originated from the Old English word 'saven'. This came from the Latin 'salvare' (to save, to preserve), and was initially used to mean 'to rescue' or 'to protect'. Over time, it came to include the meanings 'to preserve' and 'to economize', and eventually developed into the economic meaning of 'to accumulate money'. Like Jimin, we often sacrifice bigger future goals (grandpa's gift) for immediate small pleasures (snacks). This well illustrates the essential meaning of saving, which is 'preserving the present to prepare for the future'.
The concept of saving is as old as human history. The story of Joseph in the Bible, where he stored grain during seven years of plenty to prepare for seven years of famine, shows the same principle as Jimin having to save her allowance to prepare for a special day.
In the Middle Ages, the church played an important role in developing the concept of saving. Monasteries often served as 'banks' for local communities, where people entrusted their valuables for safekeeping. This can be seen as similar to parents teaching their children how to manage their allowance today.
The modern concept of saving developed in earnest during the Industrial Revolution. In 1810, the world's first commercial savings bank, the 'Savings Bank of Edinburgh', was established in Scotland, providing opportunities for the working class to save small amounts. From this time, the perception began to spread that saving was not just for the privileged class, but something everyone could do. Jimin's allowance saving can be seen in this context.
In the late 19th century, many countries introduced postal savings bank systems. This became an opportunity to further popularize saving. In Britain, the Post Office Savings Bank was established in 1861, providing ordinary people with an easy opportunity to save. This had a similar effect to giving children piggy banks today.
As we entered the 20th century, saving became a key element of personal financial management. After the Great Depression, many governments began to encourage their citizens to save. For example, in the United States, the 'U.S. Savings Bonds' program was launched in 1935 to encourage citizens to save. This is similar to Jimin's parents' efforts to teach her the importance of saving.
In modern times, the word 'saving' has come to have a broader meaning beyond simply accumulating money. As can be seen in expressions like 'saving energy' and 'saving the planet' in the context of environmental protection, it is also widely used to mean conserving and preserving resources. This could be a bigger life lesson for Jimin to learn.
In conclusion, Jimin's failure to save and the lesson she learned from it is like a miniature version of human saving history. Resisting immediate desires to prepare for the future, and learning through mistakes in the process, has played an important role not only in individual growth but also in the development of human civilization. The lesson Jimin learned from this experience is no different from the message that thousands of years of human saving history gives us.