Independence

We let Juniper make her own decisions about how to spend her allowance. For some reason, she was determined to spend all of her money today. I pointed out that she just had a birthday and that she still has books she has not yet read, Legos she has not yet assembled, and science experiments she has not yet conducted. I pointed out that she might get more enjoyment out of her allowance by waiting to spend it when she hasn't just gotten a bunch of exciting birthday gifts. Nope. We were going to the Fernbank Museum, and she was determined to bring her allowance. All $6.00 of it. That's a lot of money for her.

Whenever we go to Fernbank, Juniper is fascinated by the photo booth. We never pay the $5.00 for photos. Never. Once, when she was two, Jason took her and Violet into the photo booth. I believe that is the only time in her life that she has done the Fernbank photo booth. The instant she saw the photo booth today, her face reflected the quick firing of synapses putting together the facts and coming up with a very desirable outcome. "I have my allowance, so I can do that today."

I pointed out the relative value of photos and Legos. I reminded her about the bonanza of birthday gifts at home. I stalled, hoping that by the time we were done looking at the new exhibit she would have forgotten about the photo booth. I stalled again once we were done with the new exhibit, this time with muffins for snack. When Juniper finished her snack and the other kids were still eating, she took her wallet and walked over to the photo booth.

It's amazing how often I underestimate my children. I remained seated and watched Juniper, assuming that she would not be able to figure out the process. I hoped that she would come back and ask for help, and I braced myself for the complete meltdown if the $5.00 was wasted on failed photos. After a few minutes, she came back with photos, pride, and happiness. I was completely wrong about the relative value of photos to Legos and the wisdom of spending large sums of money the week after one's birthday. I can't think of another $5.00 purchase that would have given Juniper that much satisfaction.

She spent her remaining dollar on a token. I was dismissive of that idea too. Then Juniper came home and gave her other museum token (from a trip to DC last summer) to Hazel, so that Hazel would be able to put a token in her penny collection book. Apparently, I know nothing about how children should spend their allowance.

The sheet of photos came with three identical strips. I paid Juniper $1.75 for one of the strips. They look like independence to me and are as beautiful as any of Aaron's best photos.