we've got a 'workin girl...

because of technical issues i was having at work i purchased a new phone a couple of weeks ago.

kate and i were out running errands when she overhead a conversation pete and i had pertaining to how my new phone would also serve as my music source. she's a sharp girl this one... and she quickly said well if you don't need your ipod anymore i'll take it.

instinctually the word "sure" almost slipped right out of my mouth but fortunately i caught myself. i replied instead with a "let's talk about this"...

we talked about the value of the ipod and the value of many other things. we talked about earning money. having opportunities to earn money. creating those opportunities. making choices and choosing to work to earn money...

there were lots of questions and lots of answers. it really was one of those quintessential parenting moments where i felt the weight of the world on my shoulders. wanting kate to understand the importance of work ethic and responsibility.

at this time two things were made known by kate.

she wanted the ipod and she was willing to work for it so she could pay for it.

i told her i supported that completely but I didn't want her to take any money out of her piggy bank. the money had to be earned!

EARNED??

yes earned.

this lead to more questions.

what if i feed the dogs?

for week?

is that worth $60?

it's a great idea and i like it but i'll pay you 50 cents.

quickly she came back with 50 cents... this going to take forever she sounded a bit deflated.

i threw the mommy cap back on and came back with but it's easy and you can easily do multiple jobs every day and you'll have lots of opportunities to earn money.

for the remainder of the ride home i could tell she was in heavy thought. i told her when we got home we'd work together and put together a proposal, which of course lead to more questions.

above is what she came up with and i signed off on. it took her just under two weeks to earn the money and now she is the VERY PROUD new owner of an ipod.

pete and i were very impressed with her ambition and her every growing capabilities. it's nice know that our 7 year old is now fully capable of doing a load of laundry which at our house means collecting, sorting, starting, switching and folding!

A+ kater pie. Job well done!

mom and dad are very proud of you~