Surf’s Up ~ “Oma, are these yours?” Temple (age 9) asks, checking out the box of Neofins in my garage.
“Yes, as a matter of fact, they are,” I answer, trying not to sound defensive.
With an askance side-eye she says, “You don’t seem like the type.”
“I wore them swimming when I went with Elaina to the Aquatic Club a couple of days ago.”
“You actually SWAM with these?”
“Well, not actually. It was more like a dog paddle.”
Oh she who knows me so well, snipes, “I figured as much.”
My nephew, John Duchi, sent them to me a few years ago; I’d come across them cleaning my garage and thought they were an idea whose time had come. I gotta tell ya, they triple the speed of a dog paddle, though not much use in the bathtub.
Summer 2017
Cold Hard Cash ~ A couple of weeks ago my son Jon and I took Temple and her cousin Fiona, both age nine, to the Farmers’ Market in Marin. They brought money to buy their lunches for school the next day, so they were ready to shop. Each time they picked out something they’d empty their pockets, take their wad of bills and coins, and dump it all in front of the vendors, letting them figure out how much to take. They looked like I do in a foreign country, having no idea of the value of the currency in hand. When the girls ran out of funds, Uncle Jon laid a five-spot on each of them and they burst into an ecstatic dance, twirling and whirling like dervishes: “We’re rich! We’re rich!” They now had enough to buy half a rotisserie chicken and a good-sized pot of potatoes to split.
When Temple stayed over this last Friday night, we practiced. I pulled out my coin jar and emptied my wallet of bills, and she organized it all on a large oval plastic board. Within an hour she could tell me what each coin and bill was worth, how many coins made what, who and what was on each one, could make change, and could re-budget when she tried to buy $7 worth of imaginary food with only $5. She had to eliminate some cookies and an apple from her list. I explained how cash, credit cards, debit cards, and checking and savings accounts worked. Then we rolled a pile of coins and took them to the bank the next morning.
On the way, she asked if I could show her how to pump gas.
Next week she’ll be opening her own business. She already has a savings account that will bankroll her. I could possibly invest… and I imagine her Uncle Jon would too.
October 2017
© 2017. Catherine Sevenau.
All rights reserved.
Jeff Elliot says
The drill is great, and Temple, obviously, a quick study!
Catherine Sevenau says
That she is!
Marian Clemens says
Oh, these stories are so much fun. So glad you wrote them and shared them.
Kay says
Thank you for giving me a excellent role model for when I get grandkids. You are wonderful.
Catherine Sevenau says
Okay, here are some tips: at three they are old enough to learn how to scramble eggs, at five they clean up their mess before they go home, at seven they can use a sharp knife (stay close though), at eight they can walk to the bookstore by themselves, at nine they can learn how to pump gas, at ten they can figure out the tip on the retaurant bill, at eleven they can ride their bike to your house providing you’re in the same town, at thirteen they can say hell and damn, and after that, they are pretty much prepared for life. Oh, and ‘No’ is a complete sentence, they have to use their indoor voice, clear their dishes and load the dishwasher, and say thank you when you take them to the movies or out to dinner. That’s pretty much the drill.
susan Dalberg says
The time you spend with them is precious. Makes me wish my grandkids were still young. Hopefully, their memories will stay strong!! They sure have stories to tell their grandkids. Thanks for sharing these weekend outings with us.
Catherine Sevenau says
I’m sad to say that time appears to now be in the past tense… only one more story to come as they have flown the coop. I’m glad I had that time with them. It was fun, but I do miss them.
Barbara Jacobsen says
Good work, Oma!!!