TICKETMASTER

I remember a job whereby we got free tickets to just about every event brought to the Atlanta area. This was the year I attended numerous plays including Phantom, Rent (no good), Stomp, and Tap Dogs. We also got to go to the MLB All-star Game, the Home Run Derby, and yes the Superbowl and World Series. Among these things, I also got to go to countless MLB baseball games, NFL games, monster truck shows, the circus, and other events. There was nothing quite as nice as the owner of the business giving me a stack of tickets and allowing me to distribute them as I saw fit. Even though I signed every paycheck at that particular business, when I got those tickets I was more important. I was in fact the Ticketmaster, because there is nothing quite as nice as a free ticket. Heck, the President of the United States didn’t hold as much power as I had back then. Like most good things, they come to an end…until I had children.
I had a friend ask me the other day how I was teaching my 6 year old daughter about money. My answer, I wasn’t. Not only was I not, I had not even considered it. She would beg for stuff in a store and I would say “yea” or “nay”. I never thought to use her greed to actually teach her something, the whole concept fascinates me. Over the next couple of days, I noticed when my daughter asked for toys, dining out, entertainment, etc, I decided my friend was right, it was time to teach her about money. It was then I realized that my wife could use the same education, if you know what I mean, and I think you do. Of course the allowance was the first discussion that we embarked on, not for the wife, for the children, and I have to tell you, I am not real excited about giving money away for just living. This reminds me too much of welfare and my hope is my children one day understand that people will “reap what they sow”. Now I know, that doesn’t really apply anymore in today’s society, but at least I can make it apply in my home. Nonetheless, since the whole welfare for children thing doesn’t excite me, my wife came up with the following solution.

The Ticketmaster. She created a system whereby the children can earn tickets (pictured on the right), the power just makes me shiver all over again. Each Sunday each child gets 10 tickets for the week. Behavior above the call of duty can earn tickets and poor behavior requires a ticket to be paid back. Then on the next Sunday we cash out each ticket for 25 cents and issue another 10 tickets. A couple of rules exist; the children are not allowed to ask for a ticket, this can actually cost them a ticket, and at the end of each week a portion of their earnings must be saved and a portion given away. This is our own personal beliefs, feel free to modify as to suit you. At the end of each week the children can do whatever they want with the leftover money. The good part about this is my wife and I don’t feel guilty at this point about the junk they buy. On a side note, the first week my daughter gave me her money back as she knows I am currently unemployed, I think it is working.

The whole goal for Ticketmaster is to teach our children that doing good is standard, being great earns, and acting poorly costs. I will tell you when things are getting out of hand, I just mention revoking a ticket and a warm blanket of calm obedience ensues. I have also noticed that when a child goes over the top with considerate good behavior the ticket is a powerful tool. Instant reward, instant punishment, I really think that whoever invented the spanking needs to take a look at this, apparently greed is substantially more powerful than pain, knowing myself, I should have known this already. A word of caution, it took my children a good week and a half before they completely understood the concept and I think the rewards of money management have not yet been attained but I can see the wheels spinning. I saw my daughter stand in Target and actually begin to look at the prices and the cost versus benefit concept, I wish the wife would do this. It is fun when a 6 year old has to weigh a Hannah Montana toy versus Polly Pockets, oh the quandary. Bottom line, I can highly recommend Ticketmaster to teach children how the world used to work, when a hard days work was the criteria for earning. Also, an excellent tool to begin understanding saving, giving, and spending wisely. Who knows, maybe I will start charging a ticket handling fee! Anyway I genuinely feel like I am making progress with the children on the whole money earning/management concept…now the wife.

Be intentional, be engaged, be interactive, be a Red Fox Father.

PS if anybody has an idea to teach children how the real world works, you know, being at the right place at the right time or knowing the right people; let me know.