When I go to Costco with my kids I try to avoid the center section (a.k.a. the toy section), especially this time of year when the Christmas toys are all on display. On my last trip I was not successful in distracting the kids enough. I told them we could take one quick walk through the isles but we had to keep moving. On one of the rows Ethan's eyes got huge and he started freaking out. I had to stop to see what this amazing toy was that was causing him to suck the air out of the store. When I got there I was surprised to find that out of all the amazing, colorful, toys to pick from, the thing that made him the most excited was a microscope. He of course asked if he could have it, and I immediately followed up his question with "No". I did tell him that if he wanted to do some extra chores around the house he could save up his money so he could buy it. I told him that if he could save up half ($20) then I would pay the other half. I figured that would put him off the idea and then he would forget allowing me to secretly buy it for him for Christmas. Well, I was very wrong. He asked me about it two or three times a day and he wanted to buy it right away. He counted up all the money he had already saved and then came up with a plan to work for the rest. He only needed nine more dollars to have enough. I told him that if he wanted to mow the front and back yard then that would be worth quite a bit and would get him close to the total amount he still needed. Ethan had never mowed the yard and since the grass was very long, it was quite a workout for him (and Dad and I). So he did it, he mowed the lawns and then asked if there was anything else he could do for the rest of the money he needed. By the end of the week he had earned enough to go get his microscope and in the process learned a valuable lesson about working hard for something you want. I love life lessons that turn out so great.
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