A Malaysian primary school student who accidentally broke his classmate’s glasses is now on a “debt repayment plan” set by his parents — all in the name of teaching responsibility and financial values.
The boy’s mother shared the story on social media, saying that her son had always been a bit of a troublemaker at home.
But after this incident, she decided it was time to handle things more seriously to help him understand the consequences of his actions.
Always went too far while playing
He often gets carried away when playing. It’s not just about the broken glasses — what I’m really worried about is him playing too rough and possibly hurting himself or others in the future,” she wrote.
According to her, the boy came home one day looking gloomy and admitted he had accidentally broken a friend’s glasses during recess.
When she told him the classmate’s father asked for RM370 in compensation, the boy was shocked and argued that his friend had already “forgiven” him.
I told him — forgiveness is one thing, but paying for the damage is another. The glasses were paid for by the parents, not the classmate. He doesn’t have the right to waive the compensation,” she explained.
Implement wage system to earn money
Upon learning this, the boy became visibly upset. However, his family quickly came together to support him. His two younger sisters offered part of their pocket money, while his older sister suggested he save half of his allowance every day.
To make it more realistic, the parents also introduced a “wage system” for household chores — RM2 for each completed task such as washing dishes, mopping floors, or cleaning the toilet.
With this method, he could earn about RM70 to RM80 per month, meaning it would take around three months to repay the debt.
Call his classmate father to apologise
The parents also helped him rehearse a phone call to his classmate’s father, during which he would apologise and ask to pay in instalments.
Although the parents had already negotiated the compensation down to RM200, they insisted their son personally make the call and express his sincerity.
He eventually completed the call with help from his sister, and the parents recorded the moment as a part of his “repayment journey.”
They even laid down a rule: “If you skip chores, we won’t transfer the money. We’ll ask his father to come collect it from you himself.”
Although it was a small incident in daily life, the mother said she hoped the experience would leave a lasting impact on her son.
We just want him to understand that responsibility, commitment, and money don’t come easily,” she wrote.
