I love driving around conversations.
The boys and I were driving home yesterday from Cody’s physical therapy, a short drive of ten minutes or so, when Carter piped up from the back seat that he was going to have a pet store when he grows up. As we drove, the pet store in his mind took a very definite shape.
Carter’s pet store would sell birds. Only birds. And some of those birds would be free for people who could not afford a bird. Half the pet store would sell books. But only books on animals (including birds, of course) and trees and grasshoppers. Oh, and some of those books would be free too, again for those people who did not have money. He would offer a reward program for people who took good care of their birds, supplying them with a small bag of free bird food.
As I drove along listening to him construct his perfect bird/book store, I was impressed at the details. And the fact that he was so aware of providing for people who may not have the money to buy a bird or a book.
And then some of Carter’s control issues started to seep into his bird/book store plan.
Anyone who bought a book HAD to take a free bird.
Anyone who bought a bird HAD to take a free book.
Anyone who bought two books DID NOT get a bird.
Anyone who bought two birds DID NOT get a book.
He was very clear on these rules; they were not to be broken.
Then the topic of pricing came up. Carter wanted to sell everything for fifty cents. Cody, who had been listening to all of this but had not said anything, spoke up and told Carter that two dollars would be a “more appropriate” price. Carter, knowing that 50 is greater that 2, scoffed. They had a heated debate on this topic for a couple minutes. Cody explained that two dollars was more that fifty cents and he would make more money if he priced everything at two dollars.
Carter thought about it for a minute and then said that if he charged two dollars, less people would buy since it would cost them more. Wow!
In the end since it was Carter’s bird/book store, it was decided that all items would be priced at fifty cents, unless they were those items that were free. Cody thought he might branch off and run his own store where everything was two dollars.
So if you are in the market for ONE bird and ONE book, I know of a future store for you. If you are decadent in your bird and book acquisition and desire TWO books and TWO birds, well then please take your business elsewhere.
Shoes On The Wrong Feet 
Love the entrepreneurial/altruistic spirit! I agree about conversations while driving- you always hear the best stuff.
He is quite the thinker, that boy. Those car time conversations are always ripe for a blog post but I usually forget the details of them by the time we get home.
I’ll take the two books as don’t want a bird … but maybe you he could consider on letting people buy birds and then setting them free …
Excellent! I will pass along your idea to him. I don’t expect it to fly though (hehehe, just totally made a joke there) as he is rather particular about things. If it is not his idea, then I think he considers it subpar.
I do get that … but the bird could fly back to him and he could resell it …
I like the way you think. 🙂
Miss Priss has an idea for a store that sells ice cream and hot chocolate because you get cold when you eat ice cream and might want a hot drink. Maybe our kids should talk.
Now that is a store I would totally hang out in! Mmmmm. Maybe Carter could set up shop next to Miss Priss and after eating your fill of ice cream and then warming up over a hot mug of cocoa, you could pop over and pick out a book and a bird. 🙂
I love everything about this.
Thank you. So do I. 🙂
kids are so very definite in their ideas sometimes–it is interesting to try and understand their thinking but it is also mind boggling
I love that they have no preconceived boundaries, that something such as a store that sells only birds and books (and with such restrictions) could be a reality.
Oh how I wish I had written down all the car conversations (or even just the best of them!) from when my kids were Cody and Carters’ ages! Riding around seems to bring out the creativity…
I’ll take a book, please, but my bird can go to some more-deserving individual 😉
I try to hang on to the car conversations long enough to jot them down in blog post form (my version of a journal or baby book).
And I am sorry, if you are buying a book, you must take the free bird. Store rules. 🙂
thank you for the advance notice, i now know that i will have to go to ‘birds ‘n books ‘r us’ if i want to buy more than one of something. i love the thought process and the conversation.
Glad my advanced notice could help you with your decision on what store to buy your books and birds from. 🙂
We have had similar conversations in our car – with our (then) 8 year old telling us that she wanted to run an animal rescue centre. When asked what she would do with them, she said she would make the animals better and then return them to their habitat or adopt out the domestic pets (this is all her wording). When asked what she would do with the animals that weren’t adopted, she said she’d “humanely euthanize” them. Had us worried about the potential serial killer in our backseat for a while..
Hahahaha – oh dear.
BRILLIANT!!! I love it!
Yes, I thought it rather brilliant myself, but then again they are my kids and I tend to lean in that direction when I think of them.
I love it! Their conversations are great. And such attention to detail!
I am a huge detail lover. It is what keeps me interested in reading and writing – the fine details in stories that create a visual. I am glad Carter has a propensity towards detail, even if it is for a bird/book store!