the value of a dollar
by lisa horak

My kids have a hard time grasping the concept of money, which is completely understandable. After all, to Molly and Isabel, who are six and four, their food, clothes, and toys seem to magically appear. And when they do see my husband and I pay for things, more often than not it is with the swipe of a credit or debit card.

Still, they definitely know what money is. For example, whenever a tooth is lost the Tooth Fairy leaves a handful of change, since the number of coins is far more impressive than their actual monetary value. And then there are the pennies that I superstitiously pick up for good luck, heads up or not.

But this summer the girls had a chance to truly learn the value of a dollar. We’ve had one of those crunch times when money is particularly tight. You know—when the Visa bill, the life insurance, the mortgage and everything else were due all at the same time, and then to top it all off the car suddenly needed repairs. I think the girls picked up on my stress about our finances. Now before you start to worry about us, let me assure you it wasn’t that bad, it’s just that kids are unaware of such wondrous things as savings accounts and bimonthly direct-deposit paychecks.

Whatever it was, Molly suggested that we use the money in our Coin Jar. Doesn’t everyone have one for loose change left in pockets at the end of the day or found in the washer? Our Coin Jar is huge, an oversized glass vase that we had been filling ever since we moved to Asheville. Molly had a great idea, and she and I spent an evening counting coins and putting them in their tight little sausage-like paper rolls. We had nearly $170! Not too shabby!

That satisfying experience put the girls in a major money making mode. The next day, Molly decided to have a lemonade stand. This is a fundamental part of being a kid, wherein a mom prepares lemonade and anything else lying around, and the children mark it up about 700 percent. Of course, there is an unwritten code in our neighborhood that adults support these sales, regardless of price gouging, because a) it’s hot out, b) the kids are both cute and entrepreneurial, and c) it might be their kids having a sale the next day, and they expect reciprocity. At fifty cents a cup, Molly made four bucks in no time. Add that to her recent Tooth Fairy income, and she was suddenly loaded.

Times are tough when my six-year-old was making more money than I was, and my husband’s payday was still a long way off. Nonetheless, you have to have some fun during summer vacation. So the next hot and muggy day I took the girls to a movie at Asheville Pizza and Brewery. I figured it was surely worth $2 a ticket to be both cool and entertained.

“Come on, Moneybags,” I said to Molly, who like any fashionable lady wanted to bring her bulging purse along. “You should be taking me to the movies,” I joked.
Her whole face lit up. “Yes!” she cried, “I want to pay for you and me and Isabel!”
“NO!” shouted Isabel, who never wants to be left out. “I want to pay!”

“Fine, then I’m going to buy us all ice cream at the Hop!” yelled Molly, once again coming up with a good idea.

“No! I want to pay for ice cream,” whined Isabel, running to empty her piggy bank into her purse.

What a wonderful argument they were having! Imagine, one-upping each other in generosity. I was thrilled. Not only would it be a cheap day out, but it promised to be a full, fun, memorable one as well. So that day Molly paid for the movie. Afterward, back out in the hot sunshine, we picked my husband up at work and Isabel bought us all ice cream at the Hop.

I truly believe that movie was a little bit funnier and that ice cream was a little bit sweeter because my daughters treated me to them. They learned about using their money for a pleasurable experience rather than a material object. They learned about buying things for others, not just for themselves. And now that they have a vague idea how much certain things cost, perhaps they’ll be more grateful or gracious about what we splurge or skimp on.

For one day, I felt like I was living that famous credit card commercial: Movie: Six dollars. Ice cream: Seven dollars. Fun summer day: Priceless.

Lisa Horak lives in south Asheville with her husband and two daughters, Molly and Isabel. In her spare time she hikes, volunteers in classrooms, and dreams of writing children’s books.