First Dollar

One day, a little boy around five years old asked his dad, "Where does money come from"? He didn't know what to tell him; he had never even given him any to spend. The little boy's dad looked at him and told him money doesn't grow on trees. So, when he asked him for a dollar, all he could do was smile. He said, "Here son, I'll give you a dollar. You just hold on to it for three days, and I'll give you another one. Then, we'll see how many you can get after a while." After he handed him the dollar, the little boy was so pleased with himself because he had never really had his own money. Now, he thought he was going to be rich.

Three days went by quickly, and he came back to his dad and said, "Look, Dad, I still have it!" The little boy's dad was proud and handed him two more dollars and said, "I'll give you two more this time, but after this, you only get one. You have to keep 'em for three more days, Son." The little boy smiled and ran off to show his friends all the money he had now, and they decided they should get candy and split it. He said okay, and they all ran to tell their parents' houses. They lived in a quiet neighborhood, and there were candy stores so close to their homes that their parents could still see them. So, they were allowed to go as long as they were quick.

The walk to the candy store wasn't that long, but by the time they got there, the little boy saw something in the window he just had to have. It was a shiny red wagon, and he couldn't think of anything he wanted more. All the other boys saw it, too, and they all decided it was much better than candy. So, they hatched a plan. They all decided they were going to go make money and save it all. Then, they'd meet back tomorrow to see how much they had. When they went in the store the next day to see the price, they were discouraged - it was $30. The little boy's friends thought they could never save that much money, but he got their attention quick. "Just go back home and ask your parents if you can have a couple of dollars. If they say no, ask them what you could do to earn it. My dad gives my sister $5 dollars a week to sweep the kitchen floor!" They all got excited again and decided they could do this after all.

The little boy went straight to his dad to tell him what he and his friends found. He laughed and said, "Alright, you better hold onto that money I gave you, then." He was right, but the little boy wanted that wagon so bad he couldn't wait any longer. He asked what he could do to get more money sooner and was told he could do chores . He got started as soon as he could, and all the little boys worked all the rest of the day. The next day, when they met back up, they had more than enough money to buy the wagon. It's funny how easy it is to learn the value of a few dollars!