A Massachusetts mom is turning a surprising development into a teachable moment after she said her 5-year-old made over $3,000 in toy purchases online last week.
Jessica Nunes of Westport, Massachusetts, told "Good Morning America" she discovered her daughter Lila had bought electric dirt bikes, multiple pairs of cowboy boots and a ride-on toy Jeep through her Amazon account early Tuesday morning, a couple of days after she and her daughter had gone to the park and saw a young boy playing with his dirt bike.
"I had got a shipment notification from Amazon that said 'Congratulations, your order has shipped,' so I immediately assumed it was some kind of fraudulent charge, so I go on my Amazon order history and it said that I had ordered five pink Dirt Rockets, five blue Dirt Rockets, 10 pairs of cowgirl boots and a Jeep as well," Nunes recalled to "GMA."
Shortly after, the 26-year-old remembered she had let her daughter use her cell phone and she started connecting the dots.
"We were driving in the car and she does play this little makeup game that we have on my phone. She asked if she could play with the game so I was like, 'Yeah, sure.' So I gave her my phone. I didn't know that she got a little off task and ended up on Amazon," Nunes said.
Lila, whom her mom describes as "a great negotiator" and "very intelligent," had wanted the toys, but at the end of the day, Nunes said she wanted to teach her daughter the value of money and earning something instead of punishing her for the purchases.
"There was definitely a lesson to be learned and she certainly has," Nunes said. "I told her in the future, 'Yes, we were going to get you a bike but that is something that you needed to earn.' That's something that we needed to take some time and research, not just if I want it, I get it."
The mom of two said her message to other parents now is to remember that "kids are always watching and always paying attention more so than we think."
"I took it as a learning experience, one for myself [to] have a password, to be a little bit more proactive about watching -- because especially with phones and tablets, kids can get into literally anything," Nunes said. "But for her, we definitely talked about money a lot more."
"I think the takeaway … definitely is watch your children, have passwords, teach the value of money," she added.
Nunes said all the unexpected purchases have already been canceled or are in the process of getting returned.
Amazon declined to comment.
