En-Courage-ment

It was about 4pm this afternoon when Jocelyne comes to me and tells me she wants to have a lemonade stand. After some questions like "WHY?", "How will you spend the money", "How much is it going to cost", and "when", I finally agreed.

You see, she needs a new back tire for her bike she bought herself from her chore money. (Money she gets from helping out extra around the house, normally just pocket change, quite often nickles and pennies). She had saved up over 10$ and bought a bike that was for sale 2nd hand down the street. I went with her and she had me count her money, then she proudly walked up and paid the old man who spends his time in his garage revamping bikes. He was very business like with her, stressing how she needs to take care of her bike and dont get hurt. But as was were walking away (she still needs training wheels), he winked at me and told his wife that he likes to sell bikes to kids who earn them honest.

Now this bike was a perfectly good used bike, we got her some training wheels and she rides it every day, but the neighbor boys taught her how to "cool" and to lock up the brakes and skid. This has worn through the rubber remaining and we are now looking at the inner webbing of the tire.

I want her to buy a new tire herself (or earn half the cost of new tire), so this lemonade stand will do that. Teach her how to earn money, what things cost, and to take care of her stuff.

Once we made a list of things we needed for this stand (she went off a picture in a book of  lemonade stand) we started looking for what we already had. I got fruit punch and generic Sunny D on sale today so she could use that, ice tea, and of course lemonade. We went to buy cups. Saturday morning we will need to get ice. But we borrowed a table, scrubbed the drink coolers, and made signs.

Saturday "Jocelynes Drinks" will be in business. Drinks are .25 cents each, and if she sells 60 (the number of cups we got) she will have enought for a tire. She will also have a tip jar. We had her promise she will sit out there and Amos and I will take turns sitting with her, helping her count change and pore drinks.

Im kinda excited to see how it goes. More importantly proud of her that she is going to be brave and proactive. She may be 4yrs old but Im proud of her big dreams and how she plans to accomplish them.