Summer 2013. Rosie didn’t want to go to camp so we came up with the idea for the Tween Summer Challenge. We did so many fun and cool crafts and activities that we didn’t get them all posted. So, we’ll be revisiting the summer for a while in CB land. At the start of the summer, Rosie created her bucket list (without my help I must add). While she didn’t accomplish it all, she made a pretty decent dent. Here it is.
She started the list off wanting to go to Cosmic Jump with friends, and ended it getting an I-Phone (notice how things got a little more expensive as time went on?) Some of the tasks, like lighting a dandelion on fire, couldn’t be accomplished at all (they were all gone by the time the list was finished) And others there was no way we could afford them. But, we had a blast. And, Rosie learned a few lessons.
First, she had to learn how to prioritize. With so many things she wanted to tackle, she needed to pick the ones that she actually could. So, we passed on the dance sleepover and went for the more generic all-nighter instead. And, she had to be realistic too. Letting go of 99 red balloons sounded fun until she realized she’d have to get them blown up somehow.
Second, she learned more about money and not just the “how much do things cost” concept, but value as well. We talked about why some of the activities were expensive. And, I encouraged her to see if we could get them at a discount. In fact, she didn’t get a mani-pedi, we bought an Amazon Local voucher and got a gel-nail kit instead. It was a much better deal and could be used over and over.
Finally, she practiced patience. We couldn’t do everything in one week (and once again had to have that money talk). So she waited. And, because of that, she was rewarded. One of the things she wanted most (outside of a new phone) was to get her ears double-pierced. So one hot and sweaty day a couple weeks ago, we went to Lawrence for a day of shopping. She spotted a Claire’s and asked, “Can we do it now?” Since it was close to her birthday and she had been such a great kid all summer, I said yes. Good things come to those who wait.
We hope everyone had a wonderful summer! What was your favorite part?
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