Parable of the Hulk Arms

Poor little guy. Look how empty he is. But it was a happy day at our house. Jonathan's been saving up for months to get his.... HULK ARMS.

They're big, they're padded, and they make noises when you smash them together. Ah, finally the rewards of self-discipline.

EARNING RULES: Jonathan started out with birthday money. Then each Saturday he gets a small allowance if he does the daily chores on his chart. Difficult things like making his bed and setting the table. (Yes, he gets money docked for chores he doesn't do!) My favorite way for him to earn money is when he helps with extra projects - like a penny for every rock he throws out of the garden. He earned his final dollar by organizing toys at Grandma's house.

(Note: I wanted the boys to pose like this, and I made the mistake of saying "Okay, get each other with them." WHACK, they nailed each other in the belly. It was hilarious. But I was a little more specific after that.)

SPENDING RULES: It's Jonathan's money so he makes the decisions. If I hear "I want that, can I have that?" at the store, I just tell Jonathan that we'll have to go home and count his money and see if he still wants it next time. It works! Sometimes he still wants it the next time, so we buy it if he has enough. He would have had the Hulk arms sooner, but he occasionally bought candy or a small toy. It is his money.

It's hard to see him blow money on things like that, but Ben and I both agree that we'd rather see him have buyer's remorse over a broken cheap toy now, than over huge purchases when he's an adult. (We've seen the effects of that method way too often.) Plus, another benefit of Jonathan's delayed-but-finally-accomplished-goal? The Hulk arms went on sale and he got them for half of what he would have two months ago. Let that be a lesson to all of us!

(How's this for an action shot? You can even see from her cheeks that she's making the "pow" sound. Another feminine toy in our house...)

Back to the story. On the big day, Ben brought home the legendary Hulk arms and left them in the car until they were officially earned.

Last job completed. We dumped out Mr. Piggy Bank and added up the cash, knowing that it would come right to the amount he needed. Jonathan came up one penny short. Recount. Penny short. Jonathan looks at us, wondering what this means. Ben and I chuckle, avoid eye contact, chuckle some more, trying to figure out the appropriate response. No "Parable of the Bicycle" here. Chuckle some more. Jonathan's trying not to panic. I'm wondering if I should send him to the couch cushions to dig - isn't that what you would do? Then Zachary says innocently, "I have lots of money in my piggy bank!" A loan takes place. Life is good. Zachary has part-ownership of the Hulk arms. Time to play!

It was a four month process, but we did it! Jonathan has learned about money. Choices. Work. Delayed gratification. And now ownership. He already has his eye set on a new goal, but he knows that it's his bank that needs to fill up. In his words: "It's okay to buy treats and little toys sometimes. But I want to save most of it for big things!"

I like big things too. Do you?