Thoughtful Child

While out shopping today Julian asked me if he could get some bracelets for his cousin for Chirstmas. They were $2. I agreed but told him that he would need to pay me when we got home. We are trying to teach him how to earn and spend money. He told me that all he had was a $20 at home. I quickly thought that he could do a chore or two for me to pay me back, he agreed.
Later in the day when chore time came he was ore than willing without a complaint (an act that could be deemed a miracle -- anyone with a 4 year old would understand that) to hold up his end of the agreement. He cleaned up the livingroom (every single thing on the floor even though most of the mess was his brothers) then asked me if he could clean up the kitchen. He swept (and pretty well for a 4 year old!) He moved the table and was sure to clean up every spot he could find. When that was done he put his toys away from the table and wiped it down. I would say he more than earned his $2. This doesn't sound like it was too time consuming but he spent a good 20-25 minutes cleaning and I never had to ask him to do one thing. I was proud, he earned the money for a gift for his cousin and he did a great job making sure the job was done right. He's growing up!