This summer our neighbors have had two garage sales in which the proceeds went to very good causes. My kids were on board to set up a lemonade stand at both sales. They even went the extra mile and baked lemon cookies to sell.
These lemonade stands were excellent lessons in hard work and persistence. My daughter had no problems with these lessons. My son, on the other hand, struggled a bit. (See the photo below.) It was hard for him to stay the course and sell his wares for the entire four hours of the sale. Four hours is a lifetime when you are six years old.
They also learned about dealing with coworkers and delegating jobs to each of the employees. A few neighbor kids helped out at the sales and everyone wanted to be the boss. After much arguing, I had to tell them that everyone could be a boss, but they had to be the boss of their own assigned duty. For instance, my daughter was the lemonade server. She would then be the Food Service Manager. A neighbor boy was the boss of the money. He would then be the Chief Financial Officer. My son was the boss of yelling "Lemonade! Lemonade! Fifty cents a cup!!". He would then be the Marketing Manager. Everyone working the lemonade stand became a boss. The moment was fleeting, but they did learn that it's not all fun and games when running a business. It's real work.
I'm most proud that my kids never once expected to keep any of the money they made. Not once. After each sale, they happily contributed their proceeds to the cause.
Needless to say, by the end of each sale, I was exhausted. Lucky for me, we had leftover cookies. I ate them. They were a reward for teaching my kids some pretty valuable life lessons. Go me!!
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