$20 well spent

If you know Caleb you know that he is obsessed with sports! He is particularly fond of football. He has been looking forward to being old enough to play tackle football this fall. I am the type of parent that wants my children to try the things that they are interested in even if it is something that I am not personally thrilled about. That is where I stand with football. It really isn't my thing, but I am willing to let him give it a try. In the spring I learned that it costs $200+ to play, that there is practice every night, and that games are not just in Cache Valley. Despite the time and financial commitment I was willing to let him play.

At the beginning of the summer I set him up on a hefty allowance schedule so that he could earn $50 to contribute to football. I wanted him to sacrifice a little in order to play. This week he received his first $22 installment of allowance. For a moment he was excited about using it for football, but when the reality set in that he could spend the money on anything he wanted all of a sudden football didn't seem as attractive. Within a few minutes he decided that he would rather have some battle blades (a popular toy) than play football. I was very clear with him that if he spent his money he wouldn't be able to play football. He told me "it's just a game." My jaw hit the floor.

We took the trip to the store on Tuesday and he spent his money. Last spring he didn't want to play soccer because all he could think about was football. I told him that since he isn't going to be playing football this fall he can play soccer and I will pay for it since it costs less. He said, "yah, I'll play soccer. It's a lot safer." A reply I though I would never hear from Caleb. He is loving his toy, and I am SO GLAD we learned his commitment level before the first week of football.