有一天，
娃儿正准备吃饭。
我刚好从厨房走了出来。
他问：
“妈妈，你帮我拿瓶水！”
我想，
平常让他帮我拿东西，
他也从来没说过不字。
于是我就顺手去帮他拿了。
不仅拿了，
还顺手帮他把瓶盖打开。
估计是我这一套服务太到位了。
娃儿被感动到了。
他甚至连想都没想，
立刻来了一句：
“我给你一块钱。”
我愣了一下。
还没反应过来。
他已经快走到房间了。
我赶紧说：
“我们前两天不是才把零花钱都存进银行了吗？”
娃儿停下来想了想。
然后露出一个有点尴尬的表情：
“是哦。”
“我怎么把这事给忘了呢。”
看到他的表情，
我赶紧走过去抱了下他，补了一句：
“你不用给我钱。”
“妈妈帮你拿水是因为爱你。”
“你不用给我钱。”
听完后，
娃儿也没再坚持。
仿佛刚刚那笔交易从来没有发生过一样。
继续去吃他的饭了。
剩我一个人呆呆地回忆着刚刚的画面。
想着娃儿有时候帮忙丢垃圾，我会给他一块钱。
做房间的卫生，也会给他一块钱。
所以才有了今天这个好玩的故事。
有时候他还会讨价还价。
比如他会说：
“这个太便宜了，我不干。”
“我的时间很贵。”
把我弄得哭笑不得。
他比我想象中的更懂得自己的时间和价值非常值钱。
哈哈。
看到他为自己说话，
老母亲看着还挺欣慰的。
因为妈妈印象中，
自己上高中和大学的时候，
也有好几次为了自己的时间和价值发声。
结果换来的不是理解，
而是大人的严重贬低。
那种感觉，
真的不太好。
现如今，
我发现了娃儿已经知道了自己的时间和劳动力是有价值。
也知道自己有权利表达自己的想法。
这或许比那一块钱，
更值得珍惜。 ❤️
婷妈的亲子日常 创作于 2026.06.01
原创发布： tingtingma.com
写给孩子，也写给正在成长的大人。
未经授权，请勿转载。
Tingma’s Parenting Diary | No. 274: Turns Out He Said, “My Time Is Valuable”
One day,
my son was getting ready to eat.
I had just walked out of the kitchen.
He asked:
“Mom, can you get me a bottle of water?”
I thought to myself,
whenever I ask him to help me get something,
he never says no.
So I went and got it for him.
Not only did I bring it over,
I even opened the bottle for him.
Apparently, my full-service treatment was a little too good.
My son seemed touched by the gesture.
Without even thinking,
he immediately said:
“I’ll give you one dollar.”
I froze for a second.
Before I could even react,
he was already halfway back to his room.
I quickly said:
“Wait.”
“Didn’t we just put all of your allowance into the bank a couple of days ago?”
He stopped and thought for a moment.
Then he gave me a slightly embarrassed look and said:
“Oh, right.”
“How did I forget about that?”
Seeing the look on his face,
I quickly walked over and gave him a hug.
Then I added:
“It’s okay.”
“You don’t need to give me any money.”
“Mom got you water because I love you.”
“You don’t need to pay me.”
After hearing that,
he didn’t insist.
It was as if that little business transaction had never happened.
He simply went back to eating his meal.
Meanwhile,
I sat there replaying the whole scene in my head.
I thought about how sometimes,
when he takes out the trash,
I’ll give him a dollar.
If he cleans his room,
I’ll give him a dollar too.
And that’s probably how today’s funny little story came to be.
Sometimes he even negotiates.
For example, he’ll say:
“That’s too cheap. I’m not doing it.”
“My time is valuable.”
He leaves me both amused and speechless.
He understands the value of his time and effort far more than I ever expected.
Haha.
Seeing him stand up for himself,
this mom couldn’t help but feel proud.
Because I remember that when I was in high school and college,
there were several times when I spoke up for the value of my own time and effort.
What I received in return wasn’t understanding.
It was harsh criticism from adults.
That feeling
wasn’t very pleasant.
So now,
when I hear my son confidently say:
“That’s too cheap. I’m not doing it.”
“My time is valuable.”
I don’t feel offended at all.
In fact,
it makes me happy.
Because at the very least,
he knows that his time has value.
And he knows that he has the right to express his thoughts.
That may be worth far more
than that one dollar. ❤️
Tingma’s Parenting Diary
Written on June 01, 2026
Originally published at: tingtingma.com
Written for my child, and for the adults who are still growing.
Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.
Originally written in Chinese by the author.
This English version was translated with the assistance of ChatGPT.