The Value of a Dollar

“I want more Legos,” said Sophia as she watched her sister pull out another Lego set from a stack by the fireplace. With her birthday a couple weeks ago, Izzie had five different sets to build. Sophia had gotten one set as a present for having surgery. She finished it on the second day of recovery.

On the counter were several gift cards to Target. I told Sophia that she had two gift cards that she could use to buy another Lego set. Not to be left out, Izzie also wanted to go shopping. Luckily, she had two gift cards for shopping too.

On the day we were to go shopping, the girls each found their own purse and put their gift cards inside. They carried their purses into Target and were ready to shop.

“Where do you want to go first?” I asked the girls.

“To the toys!” both girls responded.

And so we headed to the toy section. The Lego aisle was up first. Sophia immediately went for the princess Legos. She found a small set and said, “I want this one.”

Until I showed her a larger set that had not one princess, but three princesses, including her favorite, Ariel. She quickly changed her mind.

Izzie, on the other hand, took to wandering the aisles, pointing out items she wanted.

“I want that Lego set,” Izzie told us.

I looked at the price tag and replied, “You don’t have enough money for that one. Keep looking.”

So she continued to wander. “I want a Hatchimal,” Izzie said.

Ugh…I did not want her getting something that she would play with once and then never touch again. Yet, it was her money. I tried to steer her in a different direction. “How about a puzzle? Or a game?” I asked.

Each idea was met with rejection. She continued going up and down the aisles.

Finally, Izzie meandered down the Barbie aisle and that was it. She found two Barbies that were perfect for her, one with rainbow hair and the other with a puppy pet. She was content with her choices and so was I!

We made our way to the checkout lanes and chose a self-checkout lane. Sophia scanned her Lego set and then took out her gift cards to pay. The process was repeated for Izzie. And then we headed out of the store and on our way home.

I was grateful for the chance to have the girls choose their own items and then pay for them. They didn’t complain when something was too expensive. Instead, they moved onto something new. It is my hope that we can continue to help the girls to understand the value of a dollar.