Buyer's Remorse?

Not here, at least not this time.  Anyone who has read this blog with any regularity knows that my nine year old successfully saved up a huge pile of cash and made a Big Purchase - a high end Lego robot kit.  That was back a couple months, and one of the big pieces of my work with my kids and their money is to circle back and reflect a bit on the purchases they make.

The robot was played with pretty frequently at first, but there had been a lull.  It takes some patience and planning to build these things, and then they need to be programmed before they do anything.  There's a learning curve, and it can be bit intimidating.  I was beginning to think that this was now a $300 paper weight.

That was before a nearly four hour building session this past weekend.  Logan is now the proud owner of Robogator, a foot long, programmable robotic alligator looking thing.  Took him about 15 minutes to handle the programming the morning after the build, and it now moves, detects motion, etc.  Cool!

He still digs the robot, and the likely next step is to build the humanoid form robot that is also a part of the kit.  As his Dad, I am thrilled that this is working out for him.  As his financial coach/teacher, I'm glad he learned how to save for a big purchase.  Even if you have not been using any sort of allowance program with your kids, I'm sure there is something they purchased with "their money".  See if you can find it in their room, let alone figure out if it had been used lately.  Then it's time for a conversation about if it was a good buy or not. 

Go talk to your kids!

Another Banking Day In The Books

Life is complicated.  Miranda is off on a grand adventure this summer traveling to visit family in two separate cities, flying solo for the first time.  We talked about having enough cash (but not too much!), security, and being responsible for your own economic needs rather than relying on the family members she is visiting.  Good conversations all.  She is pretty much levitating about a foot off the ground she is so excited!  The wife and I are excited, ready for the break of only having one kid to manage for almost three weeks of the summer, and curious about how we will all deal with the longest separation from our mini-adult.

Interesting little development on the charitable front this past week, as I gave my first "interview" about the project for the internal publication one of the companies I work with puts out each quarter.  Gave me a chance to tell the story, as well as give myself a nice shot in the arm about the project in general.  As quiet as it has been on that front lately, I have to remind myself that is is really a matter of when, not if, I begin the next steps in the process.  I am confident that I have a great message, a great resource for parents, and a clear vision about the type of difference the project can make in my community.

Have a great Fourth of July.  I'll talk to you soon.