Payday!

Yesterday was payday at our house! Well, for everyone except me. My paycheck is in hugs, kisses, and sweet memories...more than any career could ever pay me!

Anyway, we don't give our kids an allowance. They earn a commission. They have a chart with a list of chores. If they do the chores, they get paid a specified amount of money, if they don't complete the chore, they don't get paid. Pretty simple. My five and six year old are learning a life-long lesson. If you want to get paid, you have to work.

To clarify the chores, it is not things like cleaning their room, setting/clearing the dinner table, or picking up after themselves. Those things are done because they are a member of this family. They live in a house, not a hotel. However, I have not unloaded the disher washer one time this week, I also have folded very little laundry! And I have even made a little money, you see, everytime I pick up a piece of clothing, a sock or a shoe..it costs them. They have to pay me out of their commissions after they get paid. Amazing how few clothes I have found lying around this week!

Anyway, we tallied the charts yesterday and I paid them. We took 10% of the top for tithes. Which is teaching another important lesson, the Bible teaches that we give a tithe (the word literally means 10% and it is always off the firstfruits or in our day-off the top). God owns-we manage. After all, the Lord only asks for 10%, leaving 90% for us to spend, save, and give away. Speaking of "giving away"...

All is good, until Katherine entered the room. She saw the money and immediately began requesting some for herself. When told no, she began demanding money-full-blown tantrum with tears and jumping up and down, and even trying to take Joshua and Lydia's money right out of their hands. That's when it hit me like a ton of bricks. We have a future congresswoman on our hands!!! She thinks that I should take money from those who have worked hard for it and just hand it to her! I think it is called "redistribution of wealth" ...I call it socialism. More teaching opportunities.

I asked Joshua if it would be "right" for me to take the money he had earned and give it to Katherine. He said, "no" of course, because even a 6 year old knows that is not right. I explained that due to her circumstances she could not earn the money. She is only three, she can't really do any chores yet, and would not understand the concept of commission. So now, is it right to take some of your money and give it to her? He said no. Interesting. At about this time, Lydia, being the compassionate heart that she is says, "but it would be nice!" I agreed, and we had a great discussion about generosity, compassion, and giving to those in need.

Next, following the recommendations of Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace Jr. we divide the money into spending and saving. Teaching two more life-long lessons. Spend only what you make...the borrower is slave to the lender. The majority of Americans spend more in a month than they bring home! Craziness. Number two, the value of saving...for something real special. We live in a world of instant gratification...oh the value of learning to wait and save for something.

Most importantly, we have to keep all this in perspective, I don't want a bunch of greedy, money obsessed kids. We talk about giving. For example, last week they each gave $1.30 to buy a Bible for a child in Costa Rica. Teaching them yet another lesson...though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.

Wow, all this cost me and Steve a total of $3.15 (okay, maybe our wages are a little low). The lessons our children are learning, the discussions we are having, the character traits we are encouraging-priceless!