How Young is Too Young

So, I nipped into the local Starbucks yesterday for an iced coffee. There was a woman with two children in the queue in front of me. She was clearly their maid, and had been sent to fetch drinks with the kids for the rest of the family. A normal Dubai scene.

The kids were pretty badly behaved but nothing too shocking. What did make me do a complete double-take though, was this: when it was time to pay, the eldest of the two children (who I estimated to be 5 years old, at the most) reached into her pocked, and handed over a credit card.

The assistant swiped the card, printed out the slip – and PASSED IT TO THE CHILD TO SIGN. Which she did. He accepted this.

I obviously did a huge double take, as did the woman in the queue behind me.

I mean, I know we’re in Dubai, which is like nowhere else on earth. And having a parent’s credit card is pretty standard behaviour here. But surely NOT when you are 5 years old and can barely even write. What is wrong with people here???!!