Dear Tyler, You're 12!

 Dear Tyler, You're 12!

You're a selfless yet confident kid. You're smart, agile, secure, silly, and know how to read a room. Sometimes you choose not to read the room and get slap happy at the dinner table and crack us all up or get sent to the garage (depending on our mood and you level of respect), and you're awesome. 

You are frugal with others' money. You don't really have your own money since we don't do an allowance or give you big birthday parties and you don't have a job, but you respect money. You got a wallet with money from Grandma and Grandpa. We gave you some cash for your birthday too so when you do want something, you'll have some funds to support it. 

Vicki Crew (AKA Mamaw), takes you to Publix (and often to McDonald's) on Fridays with Ivy her granddaughter, Julia, Everett, and Clara and you try to talk Ivy out of spending all of her grandma's money. You get one thing and are respectful. Dr. Brayer paid you and Julia $100 between the two of you in Target gift cards for cleaning her roof. It was so hot and dirty and you endured two little rain showers while doing it. Julia did a little bit of the work but you said that you could each get $50 to spend (you did 95% of the work.) You agreed to get paid but not a dollar amount and appreciated it and Julia was there and did what she was asked too, so you thougth splitting it down the middle was fair since the card was to the two of you. After talking, we decided you could have 3/4 of it. But we went to Target, Ivy came too, and Julia spent over $50, then you were going to buy Ivy a big rubber ducky AND a surprise toy thingy with your portion of the money but she switched out the duck for another toy. It was interresting b/cyou wanted to gift her the duck to add to her rubber duck collection so you were willing to spend your gift card on that specificlly but she wanted to not get that and spend the dollar amount on some other toy. To you, it wasn't about allotting her a certain dollar amount although black-and-white, it was a dollar amount, but she thinks differently. I saw that you felt unappreciated - that she didn't like the gift like you thought she would. You still gave in since it wasn't worth attempting to explain it since she didn't see it that way. So you ended up spending only like 25% of the $100 including spending money on Ivy b/c you got yourself one or two Rubik's cubes for yourself. So we have some of a gift card left and you were still generous. You were completely happy with your decision. I appreciate your thoughtfulness and contentness. I like watching you kids think and work through things. 

Ivy is your best friend. You two both love playing. She loves shopping and you'll go along for the ride. She loves making Youtube shorts and you'll participate or give feedback. You both like soccer and playing in the water and searching for treasures and exploring. You both love your pet dogs. 

There's a story of when you two went around the neighborhood after we went to the zoo on St. Patrick's day to make money. You did it a little deceptively, but made like $100. Impressive. Creative. but not fully honest - you asked for donations for the Celtic soccer club. I saw you wearing green for St. Patrick's Day. You saw it as an opportunity. Or you and Ivy did. Julia ratted out your plan. So funny.