Kids as Entrepreneurs

When you think about it there are endless ways for your children to make money. When I grew up we got a weekly allowance dependent on us doing a number of undesirable chores like weeding the garden and dusting the furniture. My parents had trouble thinking outside of the box. Here is a novel idea our kids drummed up on their own.

Every summer our city hosts a spectacular fireworks event that several countries from around the world participate in. It’s a big deal; over 1.25 million people watch. I’m not sure if our kids were looking for a excuse to stay up late or they really had some business smarts, but they set up an exclusive fireworks viewing area in our son’s bedroom.

We had a choice of sitting on the edge of his bed or relaxing in our own chair, which had a cushion, but would cost 50 cents extra. What started out as a bowl of popcorn expanded into a mini menu of soft drinks, juice, water, cheese and crackers, fruit, cookies, and whatever else was in the kitchen. Then they pushed the envelope even further by bringing in the optional neck massage, which would run you an extra $1, mostly because this involved them actually doing something they weren’t keen on. By the end of the night, they both stood to make close to four or five dollars.

Their idea was not far from the current model some cinemas have gone to with Lazy-Boy recliners, alcoholic drinks, and food above and beyond popcorn and candies.

What I like about our kids idea is that it turned the tables on them: instead of me and my husband trying to make them happy, they were actively engaged in trying to make us happy. It’s too bad it didn’t extend to everyday life.