The Bow and Arrow

Cian has been saving money in a container on his beside table for the better part of a year.  The mission has never wavered : he wanted a bow and arrow.  He had saved his tooth fairy money and some money from odd jobs around the house and mostly he had cleverly followed his absent-minded father who often left piles of small change lying around.  The other day he professed to me with gleeful excitement that he was "so rich".

Yesterday, driving back from a party where the kids were well-behaved I told Cian that the following day, since he had enough money, he could go and purchase his bow and arrow.  His jaw actually dropped and then widened into a huge grin.

Last night he made sure his container of coins was right beside his head and the instant he woke up he ran to my side of the bed and asked if it was time to go to the store (it was 2 hours before the store opened).

We spent the morning lovingly separating every type of coin into piles and then counting each dollar, writing the numbers on the bags and ensuring every dollar was accounted for.  He had $28 dollars in coins (and probably only "earned" a few of them and had maybe $6 from lost teeth).  This means the remainder he got from lost coins which is amazing when you think about it  ($8 in dimes!) He inspired his sister to save now as she saw how much he had accumulated and she asked her dad for a piggybank so she could start saving too.

We headed to the store with Cian holding his bag of coins.  I got distracted a bit by games at the front of the store and he said to me "Mom remember why we came!"  He was a man on a mission.

We got the Nerf section and there were crazy expensive crossbows and some Zombie slayer guns and I was a little nervous.  He managed to find one lonely orange bow with 4 different kinds of soft arrows - the best option available after I looked at everything - and that was the one he wanted.  It was $24.99 and perfect.  He was sure in his choice and went up to the till and gave the man his money bags and purchased his bow. He had $3 extra which the man gave him back as his bag of nickels was exactly $3.  He was very proud and happy (and so was his mother).

On our way home I asked Cian what he was going to save for next since he had his leftover $3.  Without hesitation he said he was going to give it to Emily for her piggybank.  His kind heart filled mine to the brim.

We got home and Cian gave his extra money to Emily and said "Here Em it's your turn - this is for your piggybank".  She danced around, kissed his hand and shouted for joy like her brother had given her the moon.  He usually does.