Bean turns eleven in just two weeks time. I'm not sure where the years have gone. I look at her and wonder who raised her because I don't remember the time passing by, it was, maximum, two years ago that I was skinny and 'single' [that's how my husband and I refer to our time before children] it certainly seems like less then eleven years anyway. And I know someone else had to raise her with her skill sets and taste in music.
I was headed to the garage the other day and needed to stop to pick up the key first, when Bean informed me that we didn't need a key because she knew how to pick the lock!!
"Really? And just how do you know how to pick a lock?" I ask. Guess what, she's an expert lock picker, she's been picking the locks in our house "for years". Yeah, roll that around in your head for a minute. "For years?" I ask... seems I'm a skeptic. "Yeah come on," she tells me, "I'll show you!" This I had to see so we detoured to the house so she could show me her lock picking skills first hand. Bean headed straight for the playroom door turned the lock, shut the door, grabbed the 'wire prod' that serves as a 'key' pushes it in the hole, jabs it in and out a few times turns the knob and...the door was unlocked! My heart was bursting with the joy of the moment...the innocence of my child at age ten [almost eleven] was so touching to me. When people ask her about her special skills, lock picking is going to remain on the list for a while longer, I didn't have the heart to tell her that she wasn't really picking a lock, just unlocking the door as it was meant to be unlocked.
Another skill she claims is animal training or to be more specific...tiger training. It's really easy...just get a tiger from it's mother as a newborn, hand raise it, brush it and love it daily, give it treats to train it to behave and POOF...you have one housebroken, tame as a lamb, tiger. I can't wait to see how this skill works for her in the real world.
My favorite skill that Bean possesses is her business management skill. We play on Neopets.com alot! One of the activities on Neopets is to own a shop. I thought this would be a great opportunity to teach business to Bean. I opened a shop and logged all of my purchases so that I could resell items and make a profit. I showed Bean the list of items and the prices that I paid with the 'selling' price neatly printed next to it, explained the basics of business to Bean [buy cheap sell dear]. Bean opened a shop, went on a spending spree, sold everything for less than half of what she paid for it and was so proud of herself for emptying out her shop faster then I did! I tried to explain the idea of 'profit' to her but she said, and I quote, "but I like to sell things cheap." After another try, all I got from her was, "if it's my shop why can't I sell things for the price I want to?" Oh Brother.
I'm dropping my chin to my chest here, taking a deep breath..."OK Bean just marry a millionaire because you can't afford not to, love ya, play on!" She loves the shop and after months of 'playing' at it I think she's slowly starting to catch on and has even offered "mom if you ever need help with your shop just ask me, because I know how to make things sell really fast." O.K how do I say this nicely...NO!... millionaires, don't go to far, I may still need an in-law with deep pockets! lol.
Bye for now, T.