Most fathers try to teach their kids how to ride a bike， throw a curve ball(曲線球) and drive a car. Not my dad. He tries to teach me and my younger brother， Henry， about money. Maybe this isn't any great surprise. After all.Dad is the personal- finance columnist （專欄作家） for The Wall Street Journal. And， frankly（坦率地說）， he seems a little obsessed (著迷的).

I think it all started when I was going on school trip to a nearby wilderness (荒野)center and I asked Dad for some money to spend at the gift shop. Usually， Dad would give me $5 and tell me he expected change. And I， of course， would return from the trip with a few pennies and a bag full of gob stoppers(大塊硬糖) and licorice（甘草糖）.

But this trip was different.Dad gave me the $5. But this time， he told me I could keep any money that was left over（剩下）.As I stuffed the money into my backpack（背包）， I felt uneasy. Sure， I had been given the money. But I had also been given a choice. Because Dad didn't expect change，I was no longer spending his money.It was mine.I was free to blow2 the entire $5 at the gift shop. But I could also hang onto（保留） the money and spend it later，on something I wanted even more.The $5 stayed in my backpack.

My brother wasn't nearly so easy to manipulate3. A few years later， Henry asked for the same $5and was presented with the same sneaky （暗中的，私下的）scheme.But my brother didn't care. He blew everything but a nickel（5分鎳幣） on souvenirs4 and candy. At the end of the day，when Henry pulled the nickel from his pocket and flashed it at my father， a bemused(茫然的，發(fā)呆的）smile crept across Dad's face. He wasn't giving up.In fact，he had barely （僅僅） begun.Henry and I were his financial guinea pigs.

The next time we went out for dinner，Dad tried another experiment.Henry and I wanted a soda.He responded by telling us that we could either have a soda or have a buck（一元）. I immediately asked for water，thinking of how the $1 would add to my growing wad（一疊） of cash. As I took my dollar bill from Dad， Henry's desire for soda（蘇打水） disappeared and he also ordered water.My brother didn't really want the $1. He just didn't want to have less money than his older sister.

(To be continued)

注釋：

1．guinea pig[口]供實驗的人(或物)，這里指爸爸把我們當成理財試驗者

2．blow vt．[美俚]揮霍

3．manipulate vt．(尤指用權(quán)勢或不正當手段)操縱，控制

4．souvenir n．紀念品，紀念物

大多數(shù)爸爸都會教自己的孩子騎自行車、擲曲線球或者開汽車。我爸爸卻不是這樣的人。他要教我和弟弟亨利如何理財。也許這并不奇怪。畢竟，爸爸是《華爾街日報》的個人理財專欄作家。說白了，他好像有點兒迷上了這個行當。

我想，這事是從學校組織的一次附近的野外旅游開始的，那次，我問爸爸要點零花錢去禮品店買點東西。通常爸爸會給我5美元并告訴我，剩下的錢要還給他。而我，當然啦，回家的時候，會帶回滿滿一大袋各種大塊硬糖和甘草糖，就剩下幾分錢還給他。

這次出門就不一樣了。爸爸還是給了我5美元，不過，這一回他說，剩下的錢我可以留著。當我把那5元錢塞進背包時，心里有點不安。是的，爸爸給了我錢，但同時他也給了我一個選擇。因為爸爸不再要我把剩下的錢還給他，我花的就不再是他的錢；而是我自己的錢了。我可以在禮品店里把那5元錢全部花光，也可以把它攢下來；以后再用，買一些我更喜歡的東西；那5元錢就一直留在我的背包里。

我弟弟就不那么容易調(diào)教了。幾年之后，亨利也問爸爸要5美元，爸爸也悄悄地在他身上用上了這招。我弟弟可不在乎，他把所有的錢都買了紀念品和糖果，就剩下一個5分錢硬幣拿回家。那天晚上，亨利從衣兜里掏出那個5分錢硬幣，在爸爸面前晃子晃。爸爸的臉上露出一絲茫然的微笑。他不會放棄。事實上，他的實驗才剛附開始呢。亨利和我就是他的理財實驗品。

又有一次，我們外出吃飯，爸爸做了另一個實驗。亨利和我都想喝汽水。爸爸說，我們可以要汽水，或者要一元錢。我立即改變主意，就要涼水。心想，這樣我那疊鈔票里又會多一元錢啦。當我從爸爸手里接過那張一元的鈔票時，亨利要喝汽水的愿望頓時消失；他也要喝涼水啦。我弟弟其實并非想要那一元錢，他只不過不想讓自己的錢比姐姐的少罷了。（待續(xù)）