Lucky

My children love to read.  And not much in this world makes me more proud than watching my children get lost in a book.  Though I don't tell him this, my heart swells with pride when I find Zach in his bed, way past his bedtime, reading a book, begging to "just finish this chapter".

This summer one of the banks in the area had a challenge: read 10 books, get a bank account with $10 in it.  Zach was all over it.

Yesterday was the last day to go in and open an account with this program so I took both boys down with their reading lists. 

And the story goes like this:

Andrew was at the end of his rope. He was tired and cranky and wired.  Thursdays are hard days and towards the end of the week his behavior gets a little out of hand.

Thankfully, Dan, the man who was helping the boys open their accounts, was very patient.  He laughed with them and fell for Andrew immediately (as most people do).  Even through Andrew's farting (that he felt the need to announce every time - as if the stench wasn't enough).  Even through Andrew's incessant questions about "the vault".  He even heard someone answer the phone "TD Bank, how can I help you?" and it got caught in his mouth (meaning he felt the need to repeat it over and over and over and...).

In the end they both had new passbook savings accounts with $10.  They also walked out with "vaults" of their own (big green TD Bank coin banks).  I gave them each $20 and let them make their first deposits, showed them how to fill out the paperwork and how the passbook worked.  Zach got a lollipop and Andrew informed us all that "lollipops are bad for your teeth" and that he didn't want one.

On the way home Zachary and I had a little conversation:

Z: I'm one lucky kid!
Me: Why's that?
Z: The bank account!  Thank you, Mom!
Me: Oh, honey, you did all the hard work by reading those books.  You deserve it!
Z: That wasn't hard work reading those books!

That's when my heart melted.  Who's the lucky one here?  Him for opening his first bank account or me for having such an amazing child that opening a bank account makes him feel so lucky and grateful?  Not a video game or a new bike but a bank account. 

I am so damn lucky.