The Story of Leo’s Lemonade Stand
A couple weeks ago we were at #DunhamsSportingGoods & Leo saw this pink pig in the checkout line. He begged me for it, but I told him no. I told him he could buy it himself when he had his own money. We even took a picture of him with the pig so he could remember exactly which one to come back & buy!
He quickly realized he didn't have any money & asked me how he could get some.
I asked Leo if he remembered this book we read often called, "Charlie's Fantastic Fruit Stand." As a parent, I highly recommend this book. Leo nodded his little head. I said maybe he could make a lemonade stand to make money just like Charlie built his own fruit stand.
So we read it again that night & the next morning Leo woke up talking about making his lemonade stand, so off to Home Depot we went!
He painted the sign all by himself with a little help from his little brother Eli. And we helped him make the lemonade.
We started at the end of our dock on the lake. Leo was yelling at the top of his lungs, "LEMONADE!" & waving his arms in the air to get attention. Lots of people waved back, but no one stopped.
We had almost given up, but a boat finally stopped. They bought two cups & handed Leo a $20 bill 🙂
When I was telling my friend Stephen about Leo's new little business, he told me we could set up in front of his restaurant, #CiaoItalianBistro. That day in front of Caio, Leo worked so hard & sold nearly 100 cups of lemonade!
So after two successful business days, guess where we went? Yep, back to Dunham's so Leo could buy the pig with his own (hard earned) money.
I think one of the hardest things about being a parent is NOT buying your kid something they really want (even if you can easily afford it). Let's be honest, kids want a lot of things...all the time! And I buy them things...but I don't want my kids to be spoiled. I want them to know the value of a dollar. This was a great learning opportunity for just that!
A big thank you to Caio & to everyone who supported Leo's Lemonade stand. You helped a dad teach his son a lot about lemonade, money, & hard work.
I couldn't be more proud of Leo & his little pink pig.
- Ed
