First Purchase

Some folks say that a mis-behaving toddler is a bored, un-challenged toddler. So, in a recent attempt to make our lives a little smoother, we created a "chore chart" for Tai. The chores themselves are very simple (he is only 3, after all) and include things like: feed the pets, clear the dishes from the table after breakfast, brush teeth, use the potty, and get dressed. Those last three in particular must be done with cooperation in order to get the check-mark on the chore chart. If we have a bare-assed kid running around the house singing, "you can't catch me" while I chase him down with underwear and jeans clenched in my fist, there will be no check-mark next to "get dressed".

So, what do the check-marks mean? For a 3-year-old, pride in a job well done does not seem to be incentive enough for good behavior. So, we thought about some sort of sticker chart or tally of check marks that you can turn in for a special treat. But he's kinda over the whole sticker thing. And the kid already gets a ton of special treats (edible, watchable, you name it). So we decided on cold hard cash. Five cents for each chore.

Tai already had two piggy banks, given to him as Christmas gifts. So now he can finally use them. We've designated one as "savings" and one as "checking" (spending money). We've had this system in place for about 2 weeks and today he emptied his checking account into a plastic sandwich baggie (maybe he needs a change purse?) and made his very first purchases.

Despite his claims that he was going to buy "a whole box full of toys" he ended up spending his money at the Amherst Farmer's Market--where boxes of toys are scarce, at best. After turning his nose up at fresh baked cookies and pastries, he considered buying a tomato seedling (before he remembered that Daddy already had that covered). So he purchased a $2.50 organic blueberry smoothie (which he shared with his sister, without hesitation) and tossed two fist-fulls of change into the tip jar of a little 2-person-folk-band. I wholeheartedly approve of his decisions.

In the end, he came home with about $2.00 of unspent money and no box of toys, but he doesn't seem to mind.