One afternoon, our 10-year-old son Luke surprised us by saying he’d only do chores if we paid him—because one of his friends gets money for every chore. I was ready to lecture him about responsibility, but my husband whispered, “This is a perfect chance for a life lesson.”We struck a deal: Luke had to create a price list with set rates for his chores. The next morning, he proudly presented a laminated
“services menu” that included things like $3 to take out the trash, $5 to wash two plates, and even fees for hugs and doing homework on time. He strutted around like a mini entrepreneur, complete with “weekend surge pricing” and labeled jars for savings.At first, it was funny, but soon every family interaction became a transaction. I worried we’d created a tiny lawyer instead of a helpful kid.
My husband just smiled and said, “Trust the process.”Then came part two of our plan: we replaced Luke’s usual pancake breakfast with plain oatmeal. When he asked where the pancakes were, we handed him a note explaining that family isn’t a business, and some things you do simply because you care—not for money.
We wanted him to understand that not everything valuable can be bought or sold.That moment hit home. Luke’s “business” ended, and he learned an important lesson about responsibility, gratitude, and doing chores as part of being a family—not a paycheck