Sharing Money

I have to jot this down before I forget it. Last week I took the kids to spend their Target gift card they got from Max's aunt and uncle for Christmas. Instead of them wanting to split the money and both getting their own thing they decided to use the whole gift card for 1 big thing they could share...more wooden train tracks. Santa gave Rhett trains and tracks for Christmas, but Kellyn has played with them even more that he has. She was the one that suggested using the gift card for more tracks. I feel a little bad about having gender stereo typing my own daughter, but she has never mentioned or even hinted at ever wanting to play with trains. She doesn't play with them when we go to friends' houses for playgroup or play dates and things.  Well, she loves them now and they have done so well playing together and sharing. I think the trains have brought them closer. Anyways, we bought the Happy Birthday, Mr. Percival set and they couldn't be happier. And Max and I have actually enjoyed playing with too. So while we were there Kellyn kept seeing other things she wanted to buy. I told her that after she earned enough money then I would bring her back so she could spend it on what she wanted. She used my phone to take pictures of the things she wanted so we wouldn't forget. :)

So, on Friday night we had Christmas with Max's parents and each of the kids got $5. Kellyn was so excited because my mom had also given her $8 for Christmas and the thing she wanted cost $10! Then Sunday was her pay day and she had earned $4.75 and as we were dividing that money into Giving, Saving and Spending she realized that she had $4 in Savings! She decided to leave that in Savings since she didn't really need it for this purchase and then decided to put not just the $.75 into Giving, but added another $2 into Giving. I thought that was so kind and generous of her. On Monday, I took them back to Target as promised to buy their individual toys with their own money. Kellyn made a B line to the My First Disney Princess baby doll (yet another baby doll to add to the collection). To our surprise it was on sale, marked down from $9.99 to $7.99!! It told her what this meant, that she saved $2. She was thrilled. Then it was time to find something for Rhett to spend his $5 on. (My mom gave $8 also, but it was in quarters and he really enjoyed putting it in his piggy bank. I think he likes the sound it makes and then lifting it up and feeling how heavy it is. So I decided to not open that this time.) This took a little longer. We went through every little truck, tractor, helicopter there was. He finally decided on a little tractor with buttons that when you push them it makes different noises (just what we need, more tractors). The problem was that it cost $6.99. I explained to him the problem and just as he was about to put it back on the shelf Kellyn offered to give him 2 of her dollars. She said she wanted him to get something that he really liked and that she would give him the money he needed to buy it. I was floored. I almost cried right there in Target. It was just the sweetest thing and she did it without hesitation. Rhett said, "Me buy it?!" Kellyn replied, "Yes, you have enough money now." She really loves seeing people get happy because of something she did for them. It just really makes you feel like you are doing something right as a parent when these kind of things happen. When we got home she put the money she had left into Savings because now she wants to buy The Disney Princess Baby Bassinet which costs $27.99. Ugggh, that whole princess thing is such a scam, but if she earns the money then she can buy it. It may just take her a few weeks. Loving that at age 5 she "gets it." Thank you, Dave Ramsey. Praying this continues.