She asked.

We have chore cards at our house.  We have things that you have to do just because you live here but the chore cards give the girls a way to earn a little money for the things that mom and dad won't buy for them - which is basically anything that is a toy or clutter.  

Whenever I need a chore done I set the cards out on the table and let the girls know that there are chores available.  We have been doing this system for a while and it's fairly successful.  One chore pays $0.25, four means a nice George Washington for your wallet.  If you are really doing a terrific job one day you might get a bonus.  

 And here's the big one - if mom beats you to them...you get nothing.

Earlier today I decided to spruce our old cards up a bit to make it fun and exciting look like something new.  Once they were finished and I was done avoiding actually doing something today I set them out of the table and explained the new color coded by room system.  (I'm a nerd.)

And then I decided that I should procrastinate just a little more to see how interested they were in actually earning some cash.

So a child that we will call Child One (which may or may not refer to actual birth order) quickly looked the cards over and got to work.  When Child One had completed five chores she asked if it was okay if she took a break. 

A little while later Child Two (not necessarily birth order) came to ask if she could have a snack.  And then being that the competition always seems to be on Child One discovered that Child Two was having a snack and she yelled "NO FAIR!  THAT'S NOT FAIR!"

And then Child One proceeded over to the chore area to see how many chores Child Two had completed to deserve that snack.  "That's not fair!  She didn't do ANY chores and she got a snack!"

By this point Child One is working up to petition me on how unfair her life is when she took a minute to actually breathe and look at me in disbelief.  I took advantage of that moment to gently say "She asked."

Child One was completely baffled.  Was I really saying that Child Two didn't have to do chores to get a snack?  And then she took another breath and decided to try it out by saying "Can I have a snack?"

I said "Yes" and she went off on her merry, although slightly puzzled, way.

How many times have we looked at a list of things that we should do and been defeated because someone else is experiencing what we really want to have?  And how many times have we been humbled by the Lord's still, small voice saying "She asked."  We feel like dorks asking him then "Can I?  May I?  Would you?" because we should have done that first rather than running to the chore jar to see if the other person had earned it.  

Also, the kids are pretty free to help themselves to a snack whenever they feel that they need one.  Unless it involves chocolate, which it did.  I'm not a meanie mom who starves them. ;)