"Hey, I should ask Kathleen if I can wash her car for $5," he told me. "And Edra, and Monica, and Vicki, and..."
He proceeded to name any and all of our friends with cars. I could almost hear the little cash register ringing nonstop in his head, and see all the toys he imagined himself buying with the loot.
So as soon as he'd finished washing my car, he hit the phone. He left a message for Edra and Monica, and when they called back, he set up appointments for them.
I thought he might whine or grouse a little when the time came, since he's deathly allergic to work of any kind. But he surprised me. He got out his white bucket, clean washrags and drying towels, and even his step stool. He was ready to go.
Edra had the first appointment, on Saturday. She parked her Ford Explorer in the driveway, and Mark's eyes grew big.
"I can't wash the top of that car!" he exclaimed. "It's too high!"
Edra excused him from the top, then joined me in the garage. We drank sodas and watched my little guy work.
When he finished, he pocketed the money into his folding velcro wallet. He even changed his clothes, because his shorts had no pockets. He found a pair that did, so he could carry his wallet in them.
On Sunday, Kathleen's boyfriend Tim came over. He hired Mark to clean Kathleen's tires, and paid him a couple bucks. He also left Mark a scrubbing broom, and gave him some helpful tips ("Start from the top, and rinse off the soap before it dries").
Mark listened carefully to Tim, and when his next customer, Monica arrived, he put Tim's words into action. Monica asked if Mark also vacuumed the cars, and without missing a beat, Mark answered, "Yes -- for another dollar." Monica agreed that was a bargain.
While he was working on Monica's car, our neighbor backed out of her garage. She rolled her window down and said, "What does it cost to be next?"
"Five bucks!" Mark answered.
"That's a deal!" she replied. She hired him to do her car when she returned.
By the end of the weekend, Mark had washed four cars and cleared $25. He was thrilled with the money, and I was thrilled at his work ethic. (I'd never seen him voluntarily work before!)
By the end of the day, he was exhausted, but that money was burning a hole in his pocket. I took him to Target so he could spend some. He picked out some little toy skateboards popular with the fourth-grade crowd.
Mark spent 30 minutes in front of the toys, choosing which ones he wanted, and running back and forth to the scanner to check their prices. He added up the prices over and over again, to make sure he had enough money.
Even though he'd added up the prices 10 times, Mark held his breath as the cashier rung them up. He ripped open the velcro on his wallet, and counted out 19 dollars, handing them over to the cashier. And then, with a joyful grin on his face, he grabbed his bag and ran out the door.
It was such a great lesson, from beginning to end. He worked hard, earned money, and got to buy a new toy with it. He even had money left over, because he wanted to save some to buy a bigger skate ramp later on.
And I was happy, too. I saw my son work hard, and earn his money. I also got to visit with my friends while they got their cars washed. The best friends a person could ask for -- the kind who supports and pays my kid to wash their cars, even though they were washed professionally last week.
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