Numbers and Money

I think Aubrey is awakening to the concept of money. We've come a long way from when she thought the bank was a place that gave out free money when you needed it. (We had a discussion about how you have to put money in the bank first, and the money you get out of the machine is money you've already put in there. She also is gaining a sense of large numbers. She knows what a big number is, I have found this out because she has told me several times recently, something like, "Please, mom, read me that book, I've asked you a MILLION times!" Well, these two things, a sense of money, and a knowledge of large numbers came together this morning. Aubrey had me read out loud the paper that she brought home from preshool, which said that this semester's tuition of $85 was due the next week. She got kind of concerned and asked me, "what if we don't have that much money?" And I assured her that we had plenty of money to pay for her to go to preschool. I thought this would ease the concerned look on her face, but it didn't, and I soon found out why. "But we're not taking it out of my piggy bank, okay mommy?" Apparently, she has an inflated sense of her own money, because although one time, we counted twenty dollars from her piggy bank in quarters, dimes, nickels, and actually mostly pennies, I know she doesn't have $85 in there right now. I assured her we would take it our of mommy and dadd'y piggy bank and she relaxed.