I've been to a lot of country markets - many bad ones and many good ones - and last week I was at the latter, one of the better ones I have ever attended. The stalls were numerous, stall-holders friendly, products and produce was top notch and it all had a cool country vibe which I like...being the small-town country boy that I am. It was, in a word, enjoyable.
My wanderings brought me to a stall curiosity made me stop...and if you believe that you're fucken bonkers...What made me stop was the dark-haired, porcelain-skinned mum-hottie behind the counter...when she greeted me with her cute Irish accent I knew I'd arrived at exactly where I needed to be at that given point in time.
Anyway...Her two children, a lad of around eight and girl of around six to seven, were running the stall under the direction of the two bluest mum-eyes I'd ever seen and as we chatted I browsed their wares...and the mum-hottie just a little also.
The stall held display boards of keyring holders they'd made themselves; apparently patterns are loaded into an overlocker (whatever that is) and there's little else to do but cut shapes and all. It's probably more complicated but you get the point.
I chatted with the lad, it was primarily his business, and with the mum of course and you wouldn't blame me if you saw her, about the process of running his business, what got him started and why, what he's planning for the future and what he's doing with the revenue...for the last, I suggested Lego which his mum was into, but the kid likes swap-cards and that's where most goes - with some into savings also. I was really impressed with the whole situation and at how well the lad spoke and explained things. A top kid if ever there was one.
I ended up buying two Star wars keyrings, Darth Vader and a Storm trooper, at $10AUD each which I'll send to my nephew, @mrbonkers, who is just getting into Star Wars and I think he'll get a kick out of them; he loves getting letters in the mail from me and returns his own back so he'll love opening up the little package these will arrive in.
I said goodbye after some kind words and encouragement for the lad, and his sister who handled logistics and inventory for the operation, and a few words for the parent, the hot Irish lass. I walked away thinking it was a cool experience and how great it was to see a parent supporting and encouraging her kids to do this little endeavour and how cool it was that the kids were actually able to hold a conversation and eye contact with another adult; it's rare these days.
I wandered away wishing for one last look at that lovely mum but having the self-restraint not to, and thought what a great head start those kids have on life...rather than being at home looking at a monitor playing video games they're thinking, strategizing, participating, and working on life-skills that will help carry them forward into adulthood a little more equipped for it.
I did odd jobs around home and neighbourhood to earn some money as a kid; I'd actively seek it out and started around the age of five I guess. I got my first real job at thirteen and have worked towards a better life and outcomes ever since. I was fortunate to have parents who instilled a strong work-ethic in me which I carried forward, an understanding around the concept of money, working for it, saving, investing and spending it. Those lessons have stuck with me and my life has been better for it...I wonder about you.
What was your first job, did you seek work to earn a few cents as a kid, have a lemonade stand or some such thing? Did you get an allowance given to you for nothing or did you have to swap time and effort for it through chores and tasks? Did you receive a grounding in financial and other life-matters and if so what was the biggest lesson? If you've got any thoughts on this, or anything else, feel free to comment below, I'll respond.
Design and create your ideal life, tomorrow isn't promised - galenkp
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Any images in this post are my own.