Some neighbors invited us over for dinner and a play date last Friday evening. As we were leaving, I left a $10 bill on top of one of the pizza boxes. Sunday evening, Kate came into my room with Robert announcing that Robert had found a $10 bill! "Where did Robert find it?" The answer was "somewhere near the mailbox." Why was Robert out in the front yard by himself? The mailbox is by the curb, near a blind street corner. I was disturbed at that thought far more than I cared about the lucrative find.
A couple weeks ago, we started giving the kids an allowance. They have to do a couple of daily tasks in exchange for $2 a week ($1 for Robert). As a result, our kids are more conscious of money and what can be purchased for what amounts (or maybe it was that the allowance resulted from their developing awareness). Kate was extremely excited about Robert's $10 find because he could buy 2 Zhu Zhu pets for that amount. James told him he could buy two Bakugons for that amount. Kate added that if he saved until he had $20, he could buy a pillow pet. The conversation about what $10 could purchase continued. Kate convinced Robert that he wanted to go to the toy store and spend his $10 as soon as possible. We planned the outing for Tuesday evening, after James' and Kate's soccer practice. The outing was conditioned upon Kate and James agreeing NOT to ask for anything for themselves, unless they brought their own money. We were going only so Robert could choose something with "his" $10.
On Monday, when Ben brought in the mail, we found a torn white envelope. "Nice try" with a smiley face was written on the front. I had already assumed the $10 bill was returned by the neighbor, but had wondered why she would have left it loose in the mailbox. I guess Robert's explanation of "near the mailbox" left out the "in the mailbox" and "in an envelope I opened" part.
As promised, we went to the toy store on Tuesday evening. Before going in, I reminded Kate and James that they had agreed not to ask for anything for themselves since they had chosen not to bring any of their own money ("saving up"). Only one very minor infraction of that deal took place (James), which I found quite remarkable.
We were in the toy store about 45 minutes. At first I was trying to get Robert to choose something quickly so we could leave. But then I realized we didn't have anywhere we needed to be and I would be missing out on the very interesting and extremely entertaining scene being played out by my kids.
Kate and James kept guiding Robert to various products they thought Robert might want to buy (and, of course, things they might also enjoy playing with). They'd ask me how much it was. If it was more than $10, they moved on. If it was $10 or less, they'd start persuading Robert to choose that item. Robert was frequently presented with an item from each of them at the same time. He'd look from one to the other, trying to catch all of their overlapping reasons for choosing a particular item. After 20 minutes or so of following his older siblings around, Robert took charge. He quietly walked down various isles looking at the toys on the lower shelves. Occasionally, he'd ask me how much something cost and whether he could buy it. If it was too much, he kept moving. If it was an option, he'd stop and think it over. All the while, James and Kate kept looking at the items around and pointing them out to Robert, but he became less and less interested in what they showed him or what they said. Eventually, he saw some bubbles and bubble toys on an end cap. He got all excited and picked up a $0.79 bottle of bubbles. He asked if he had enough money for it. I said that he did. It was clear he was satisfied and had made up his mind. He held onto the bottle and walked to the front of the store to make his purchase. He put it on the counter. We opened his plastic piggy bank and took out a dollar, leaving the $10 bill where it was. He put it on the counter. I handed him the change and he happily put it into his piggy bank and headed to the car with his bottle of bubbles.
James and Kate didn't say anything. They didn't try to talk him out of it. They didn't opine on his choice. We all walked to the car, buckled up, and went home so Robert could play with his bubbles. On the drive, Kate said, "Robert, if you save another $10, you can buy that turtle pillow pet. Do you want to save up?" I don't recall whether Robert answered her or not.
That's Ben and Robert way up there. Robert has become a huge fan of Lagoon, excitedly trying every ride he's tall enough for (and complaining when he isn't). We recently spent a Saturday at Lagoon with friends and Andy and Jane and family.
After posting these pictures, it's clear that I need to give Ben the camera on the next Lagoon visit. We don't have any pictures of Kate and James on Wicked, the Spider Ride, or others that they go on outside of my presence. Of course, that may be intentional because if I actually went to watch or saw the ride up close, I think I'd be inclined to prohibit them.
