It’s funny how Facebook cuts into my blogging. I hardly ever post here anymore, because everything gets posted there. I need to download all my status and post the appropriate ones here. But I digress….
Today’s post will be way to long for a Facebook status, which is why I’m writing here. It’s about going to the store with David, to do some Christmas shopping. You see, this morning, I came up with a great idea for him and Leah: first, I’d go to the bank and withdraw $40 in singles. Then I’d take them each to the store (separately, of course), hand them each twenty $1 bills, and allow them to pick out Christmas presents for each of the other four members of our nuclear family. Since Anna was already taking Leah shopping for birthday-party stuff, the opportunity was perfect for David to go first. (Naomi came, too, but she obviously didn’t know what was going on.)
When we first walked into the store, I asked David who he wanted to shop for, first. His response: “Naomi.” I then asked which part of the store he wanted to shop in, for Naomi. His response: “where the baby stuff is.” I figured the toy department would be a better bet, but he was in charge, so off we went. Turns out my son knew better than I.
As we entered the baby section, David’s eyes immediately caught a large baby toy on the top shelf. He was sold: “get that!” I informed him that that toy was $17, that if he bought that for Naomi, he’d only have $3 left for the entire rest of the family. He still wanted it, though, so I placed it in the cart, then counted aloud as I took $17 of his $20, one bill at a time. As he stood there with only $3 in his hand, the reality seemed to sink in a little. “Are you sure,” I asked him again, “that you want to get that big toy for Naomi, or would you like to look for something smaller, so you have more money for everyone else?”
He understood, replying, “something smaller.” I placed the large item back on the shelf, returned his $17, and guided him to some smaller toys. He first chose a $10 item, but when I asked if he was sure, moved down to an $8 item. I repeated the earlier exercise, placing the $8 toy in the cart and counting eight of his dollars aloud, as I took them. I again asked if he was sure and pointed out a $4 toy. He loved the idea, exchanged the $8 toy for the $4 toy, and I returned four of the dollars I’d taken. He was elated and announced that next he wanted to shop for Leah. I asked him where; “the toy department” was his response. Smart kid.
As we walked down the aisles of the toy department, it was obvious that the lesson had sunken in. Each time he saw a toy that interested him for her, he’d ask how much it was. He smartly turned down the first toy, which was $55, but also turned down $25 and even $12 and $10 toys. I was incredibly proud of how well he understood the concept. He’s an amazing four-year-old! We finally settled on a $5 toy that we both thought Leah would like. That left him with $11 for Mom and Dad.
I won’t go into what he got for Anna, since she’ll probably read this entry, but suffice to say he found something quickly: the first thing he picked was within his budget, and I was rather impressed with his selection. I, though, was a bit harder to shop for: his first choice was a two-pack of 9-volt batteries, which I informed him was very nice, but probably not a good Christmas present. He persisted, though, at which I informed him that they were $7. So much for that idea! I also suggested that he might want to save his remaining bills and shop for me, with Mommy, some other time. He blatantly refused that idea, though, so I know exactly what I’m getting from him. ;-)
As we approached the register to pay, I realized that I hadn’t taught him about sales tax—nor need to, at this point. Thanks to the government, he actually wound up being 7¢ over budget. Oh, well. (Please don’t tell him; I snuck another dollar bill onto the counter, to cover it.) Regardless, he did a great job, and I just had to share the results. Good night, David, and I love you!
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