Three and a half year old Oliver has always liked the iPhone game "Angry Birds." Thanks to Grandpapa, he has now discovered the Star Wars version. Saying he's addicted to it would be an understatement - I limit his iPad time to 30 minutes a day (up from 60 minutes a week), and even then he can't wait until the next time he can play it! He is really good at it and sees it as a personal challenge if he doesn't get all three stars when he beats a level, or get a better high score when he repeats a level. I don't even know what level he's on, I think it's in the 80's. I knew this little boy of mine would do great things, but I didn't know that translates to beating me (and Nich) at Angry Birds Star Wars at the tender age of THREE! "Children these days!" Seriously!!!
So, the farther you get into Angry Birds, the cooler the jedi birds you get to wipe out the evil drone pigs with. Oliver is always SUPER EXCITED when a bird with a new power is introduced - the bird with the light saber, the bird that can shoot red light, I don't know all the characters, these are just the ones he's shown me. Well, Oliver started to notice that, while they introduce birds with new cool powers, they are very stingy on when you get them. The other day, for example, I heard from his tiny voice, "Ugh! Why aren't they giving me any more of the cool birds anymore?? I need the light-shooting-jedi to beat this level!!!" This from a boy who has never seen Star Wars but is now familiar with "The Force", jedis, wookies, C-3PO, R2D2, Darth Vader, light sabers, you get the drift.
There is a button at the top of the screen that shows how many "cool birds" you have left. His is at "0" because he doesn't have any except when they were introduced. Oliver discovered that by pushing said button opens a screen with the opportunity to buy cool birds. Can you guess where this is going? "Mamma!! LOOK!!! You can BUY cool birds right
HERE!!! Now I can beat this level!!!!!" exclaimed an excited voice next to me as I was drying my hair. "How much?" I regretted asking as soon as the words exited my mouth. Then he gave me a list from $1.99-$19.99 for cooler and cooler, badder and badder, more and more birds. And BONUS birds. I'm glad I have a smart kid. Sometimes though I wish not smart enough to start figuring all this out!
"Uh huh" I said. "So can I buy some?!?" The excitment at this discovery about to eat him alive and we hadn't even had breakfast yet. I said, "with what money?" "Oh yeah, I need money. How do you spell money? Let's see, that's M-U-N-E-E. You need
TWO E's because it ends in the sound EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" As he was wriggling out of his skin.
Now, it took me a minute to figure out what on earth he was talking about here. Then it hit me. He has seen me buy apps before, and it always asks for my iTunes password. He thought I was typing the word "money" because that's what one needs to buy something for the iPhone or iPad. I smiled at finally seeing the three year old logic in this. Seeing this amazing teachable moment here, I explained how that is a password, and the money comes off of my credit card - and one earns money by working very hard for it. We spent the better part of thirty minutes (I'm not exaggerating) talking about how Daddy goes to work to make money, and how most of it is spent on living expenses (food, electricity, car, etc) and very little is set aside for games and such. "But how do
I get money?" asked my sweet boy after hearing and discussing this. My answer and thinking this is a wonderful lesson he's learning right here at age three, "By working very hard. Maybe by doing chores you can earn money." The CH-word has never been spoken in this house, picking up after yourself by the end of the day is pretty much expected in this house right now.
Now I'm thinking, oh great, I'm going to have to keep track of an allowance and chores. With a three year old who already does it for free. Like he's
supposed to. So we talked about chores and what those were. Within seconds of my explanation, Oliver ran out of the bathroom and all I heard was the pitter patter of his feet all over the house, and then him returning in about 86 seconds completely out of breath and very excited. Before I could ask what he was doing, he pushed on the "waste-your-money-here" button and waited. In absolute dismay he said, "Why isn't it showing me any money? I put away my shoes, put my dirty cothes away, put my toys away, and I don't have any money."
Now that was absolutely adorable and somewhat heartbreaking to see three-year-old logic at work again. So, I explained that's not how it worked. As I saw the reality come over him, and I'm not sure what I explained made any sense in his three-year-old head, I told him I was very proud of him for trying so hard to make some money to buy the cool birds that I would get some for him this time. And the world was right for $1.99 and 20 cool birds.
Which he blew through in about 20 seconds. And yes, KILLED that level.
Oliver was just looking at this and pointed out that he is wearing his Star Wars shirt here. Yep!
