Mother sets up kedai runcit for her kids during MCO
Image adapted from: Puan Nadzirah Razali
While the first few days of the Movement Control Order (MCO) may have given plenty of opportunities for parents to bond with their kids, there are bound to be some days filled with boredom. After all, being cooped up in the house 24/7 is hard on all of us.
This Malaysian mother has come up with the perfect way to juggle between keeping her kids happy and getting them to do their chores. All it takes are sufficient snacks and some fake money that can be purchased online.
A mini-kedai runcit for kids to buy snacks from
In a now viral Facebook post, Puan Nadzirah Razali shared her cool parenting hack that will get any kid to start volunteering to do chores.
Image adapted from: Puan Nadzirah Razali
Her caption in Malay translates to “Mother’s sundry store opens at 10AM and closes at 8PM. If you want to shop here, you need to earn money first by working. I’ve already listed down the list of work you can do. Once you receive your salary, you can use it to buy whatever you want in my store. No money, no treats. Before stepping in, everyone needs to wash their hands and use sanitiser first.”
She even tagged her husband at the end of message and told him that he won’t be given any special treatment as he’ll also be required to pay up before getting anything from her store.
Image credit: Puan Nadzirah Razali
In the series of photos Razali posted, we see one of her elaborate set-up and it appeared that her kedai runcit was well-stocked with a lot of kid favourites too. Chipsmore, Tiger biscuits, Apollo, and Teddy biscuits were just some of the treats that can be found neatly organized in a mini-shelf. There were also several packets of Milo drinks and a whole box full of Choki Choki.
There’s even a toy cashier to “check-out” the items
Image credit: Puan Nadzirah Razali
Before you’re taken aback by the exorbitant prices displayed in Razali’s store, she later reveals that she bought fake Malaysian money on Shopee.
Reading, napping, and not fighting with siblings included in list of chores
The list of chores that Razali came up for her children appears to be quite varied. There are more traditional chores like sweeping the house and clearing toys, but there are also surprising ones like napping. And the pay actually increases with the duration of said nap. A 1-hour nap will earn the child RM50 while a 2-hour nap will earn them RM100.
Image credit: Puan Nadzirah Razali
There are also bonus chores like “tidak bergaduh” or not fighting, presumably with their siblings, which will earn them RM10-RM15. Razali will also pay them when they don’t bother her during her working hours, though our attention lies more on her funny remark at the side that says “how much you get will depend on my mood”.
Perfect parenting hack for MCO
Kids who are used to spending a lot of time outdoors may have a hard time adjusting to the MCO, especially since trips to the candy store and classes at school are now barred. However, having a kedai runcit right at home can not only make them excited for a snack break but will also motivate them to help out around the house.
We just hope that the kids don’t bring the fake money along with them even after MCO ends and try to use it at an actual kedai runcit.
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