Giving

Kate has become very passionate about giving.

She has been saving the money she has been given or earned since she was about 3 years old.

(Sidebar: She is on straight commission at home: if she does her jobs, she gets paid at the end of the week. If she doesn't do her jobs, she does not get paid. There are basic jobs you are required to do if you live at our house, then there are the jobs you can do to earn coin. We believe it's important to learn the value of work at a young age...so we started the commission plan earlier this summer. No entitlements at this house.)

Sunday she reminded me we needed to take some money out of her bank to send to Chinese orphans. We had been talking about where she might want to give some of her money, and she chose the children of China.

As we took the money out of her banks, a look of panic spread across her face. She then asked, "I don't know how to count in the millions, how will I count my money?" I assured her that I could count high enough to figure out how much cash she has on hand.

We counted the all of it (less than $1 million dollars on hand) and then divided it into 3 piles. The first pile is for giving. This will be going to support her passion. The second pile is for saving. The third pile is for spending. She can use this to purchase things she wants and to learn how money works.

While she doesn't completely understand the system yet, she certainly is excited about sharing what she's earned. She also was very excited to take her own money and buy her own *Silly*Bands*. I didn't personally love the idea of buying rubber bands with her hard earned cash, but it's not my money. It's hers and it's part of her education...that is priceless.

I am proud of her giving heart and hope it only becomes more compassionate over time.