Every Quarter Counts: Why Two Brothers Shared Their Lego Money

My two boys love quarters. We don’t give them an allowance yet, but for the past few years we have used quarters as an incentive for doing things around the house like feeding the dog, picking up toys and emptying the dishwasher. My wife, Lauren, even pays them a quarter if they fart on me. Needless to say, Stephen, 6, and Thomas, 4, love these quarters, they save these quarters and they only spend them on the ultimate prize - Legos.

I recently told Stephen and Thomas that their cousin, John, and his fiancé, Sara, were staying with us this weekend because they are running the Marine Corps Marathon and 10K. As usual, a simple statement led to a marathon of Q and A’s:

Why aren’t you running?

I get to watch you guys.

Why can’t we go?

Running strollers are not allowed.

Is it a race?

Yes.

Are they going to win?

No.

Then why are they running?

To raise money.

For what?

I thought for a second. “It’s pretty simple,” I told them. “You guys have bike helmets and car seats. We taught you how to swim, and you know what to do if you hear the smoke alarm. Not all kids do. We want to protect all kids just like you.”

Like most things I say, I was pretty sure they stopped listening. Especially since when I was done, they just walked off. But a few minutes later Stephen returned with his piggy bank and Thomas with his coin purse. They each gave me a handful of quarters.

“Will this help?” Thomas asked.

I smiled and told them, “Every quarter counts.”

You can make your quarters count too.

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