When my husband saw the list of ways to earn and spend Mommy Dollars (see June 1), he needled me about charging $40 for watching TV. But the boys were both ecstatic -- they handed over the money and got ready to run down to the basement to watch.
Then they came back upstairs and asked me, "Who gets to hold the remote?" It was something that they'd both argued over regularly, trying to keep the fights under the radar of their parents, but not always succeeding. I was really getting sick of being the referee.
So thinking quickly, I said, "We'll have an auction. Highest bidder holds the remote." Bidding started at $1 and rose slowly until finally the older brother won the auction at $100. The younger brother stomped off, but didn't argue.
We've had a few more auctions since then -- the funniest one was over what we call "the bling watch". Again, the oldest son won the right to wear the watch for one day, and again, the winning bid was $100. After he won the bid, he asked me, "Wait. Is this a boy's watch or a girl's watch?" "You won the bid," I answered, "you tell me".
He looked at the watch carefully. "It's covered in jewels," he said. "DEFINITELY a boy's watch".
The next day, the boys started debating who got to rent that watch today. I mentioned an auction. My older son paused, felt his wallet, turned to the younger and asked, "How about we take turns instead?"
*****
Nowadays, when the kids start fighting over something, the mention of an auction will usually get them to figure out a way to share that doesn't involve paying up. That's been a really nice side-effect of the Mommy Dollars.
And when my husband saw that the boys not only gladly paid $40 each to watch TV, but voluntarily chipped in $100 extra to hold the remote, he stopped teasing me about how much I charge.
Then they came back upstairs and asked me, "Who gets to hold the remote?" It was something that they'd both argued over regularly, trying to keep the fights under the radar of their parents, but not always succeeding. I was really getting sick of being the referee.
So thinking quickly, I said, "We'll have an auction. Highest bidder holds the remote." Bidding started at $1 and rose slowly until finally the older brother won the auction at $100. The younger brother stomped off, but didn't argue.
We've had a few more auctions since then -- the funniest one was over what we call "the bling watch". Again, the oldest son won the right to wear the watch for one day, and again, the winning bid was $100. After he won the bid, he asked me, "Wait. Is this a boy's watch or a girl's watch?" "You won the bid," I answered, "you tell me".
He looked at the watch carefully. "It's covered in jewels," he said. "DEFINITELY a boy's watch".
The next day, the boys started debating who got to rent that watch today. I mentioned an auction. My older son paused, felt his wallet, turned to the younger and asked, "How about we take turns instead?"
*****
Nowadays, when the kids start fighting over something, the mention of an auction will usually get them to figure out a way to share that doesn't involve paying up. That's been a really nice side-effect of the Mommy Dollars.
And when my husband saw that the boys not only gladly paid $40 each to watch TV, but voluntarily chipped in $100 extra to hold the remote, he stopped teasing me about how much I charge.
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