To the Mom in front of me at Target

This isn't one of those posts. You know, the ones that tear into a stranger for something you observed while they were most likely having a terrible moment during the worst day of their lives. No, this post is a commendation, and a confession.

So, the boy and I are behind a Mom and her two kids at Target the other day. The boy has begged for a slushie enough that my will wore away and I agreed to buy said slushie.  The kids in front of us were also buying slushies.  However, SuperMom pulls out two wallets from her purse and hands one to each kid. Each kid then proceeds to buy their slushie using their own money. How great is that? What a great lesson on how money works. I totally stole her idea and plan to implement it immediately.

The boy picked out his own wallet. It's a Spiderman one with a zipper pocket, which is perfect for all of the change he's going to want to shove in there.  We've discussed how things will work. He wants a snack or treat from the store, he will use his own money to purchase that. If he runs out of money, he can do chores around the house to earn more. I feel like this will be a beautiful system. This means it will most likely crash and burn, but I have high hopes for it.

So, this incident, combined with a history of comics course I'm taking online, have got me thinking about ideas. That mom inspired me to begin a practice that I hope will build a solid foundation for the boy in his understanding of the world of personal finance.  The comic course assigned us to take a god or goddess from any mythology and use it to create a new superhero and villain.  We constantly borrow and trade ideas with those around us.  Look at the wild popularity of sites like Pinterest and Etsy.

The beauty of these borrowed ideas is that they don't have to be exact replicas.  In fact, many times the idea transforms into something unique. Like Poseidon evolving into Aquaman, or the cute party favors you made last year that were inspired by something you saw on Facebook.

My confession: I'm totally an idea stealer. Well, more like an idea transfigurer. Yeah, that's a made up word, but you know what I mean.  So, a huge shout out to the Target mom that inspired me to try something new with the boy, and props to all those creative minds out there that ignite the imaginations of those around you.

PAD Challenge complete!

I did it. I wrote a poem a day for the entire month of April. I may have taken the easy road and scribbled down a few haikus on busy days, but I still managed to write something every day.

I haven't yet decided if I will keep this going through May or beyond. It's definitely a good habit to get into, but I think I'll open it up to all writing, not just poetry. Maybe challenge myself to write 500 words a day in any format. Baby steps.

As the best reward to myself ever, I'm seeing Neil Gaiman tonight in D.C. Really, my wonderful husband bought the tickets for me as a Valentine's Day gift, but it certainly seems like a reward for a successful poetry challenge. Either way, I get to see Neil Gaiman, so it's a win!