...there was a little girl who wished to receive an increase in her weekly allowance. She complained that a mere dollar per week was not enough. She considered this a very big problem indeed! So she went to see the bank manager to discuss her finances.
The bank manager listened as the little girl explained her desire for more money...
She continued to explain to the bank manager why a meager $1 a week was not nearly enough, not when there were brand new books and toys coming out almost every single day!
She listened while the bank manager explained to her that for her age and experience, $1 a week was in fact, a great deal of money.
The bank manager then told her that he would not be able to approve her request for an increase in her weekly allowance, but he had some ideas for her. The little girl stood there with a rather glum expression on her face as he offered her some suggestions...
"Get a job", suggested the bank manager. He followed that suggestion with another, "And don't forget to save at least half of everything you earn! You never know when a rainy day might come along!"
So she went out and did exactly that.
The next day when the bank manager went to lunch and a local diner, who should he see waiting on him?
The bank manager told her that it was very nice to see such eager initiative in young folks nowadays and that he was pleased she had decided to earn more money towards those books and toys she wanted so badly.
He paid his bill and left the little girl a very nice tip as a reward for the wonderful service she provided him.
The little girl was surprised at how quickly she was able to earn a little money for a few books and a nice new soft and cuddly teddy bear. She even had money left over to put into her piggy bank! The bank manager would be very proud of her!
The little girl soon grew bored with her job at the diner so she set out for what she thought would be greener pastures...
She decided that a life on stage was just the ticket! She would sing and dance her way to lots of money and be able to dress up in fancy dresses that twirled out when she would spin around!
In addition to being able to dance and sing on the stage, the little girl was not prepared for the less attractive side of a life in front of an audience. She would occasionally have to put on puppet shows and she didn't like doing that one little bit!
So with one final, graceful bow to her audience, she bid adieu to her adoring fans and left the lights and fancy clothes behind.
The little girl went back to bank manager and once again asked for an increase in her allowance. She told him that she had saved more than half of everything she earned at the diner and was even able to put away a little money after working in live theatre but she still wanted more! The bank manager repeated his suggestions from before, but this time he told her that maybe if she wanted to earn more money, she should go to school and learn to do something that would provide more money! So the little girl set out to do exactly that!
During the day she went to school and learned everything she could!
...and in the early evenings she would work at the local grocers. Who should stop in one day on his way home from the bank to pick up some things for his supper? Why it was the bank manager himself!
The bank manager was very pleased to see the little girl and she told him that she was going to school and learning as much as she could! He listened intently to her, and then he offered her one final piece of advice, "Take a little time, between all your hard work and book-learning to remember to have some fun!" He wished her all the best, and then paid for his goods and went on his way.
The little girl did several things while she was in school to help earn money. For a while she captained a tourist train and went on many adventures with wonderful people from all over the world!
She greeted each passenger on her train with a warm and welcoming smile!
In her spare time during breaks from school, the little girl was even a volunteer with her local fire department. She had many kitty cat and baby doll rescues to her credit She loved animals and was happiest when she was rescuing them from near-catastrophe!
More time passed and before she knew it, the little girl had finished school and was ready to do what she really wanted to do and loved to do.
She went to school and learned how to be an animal doctor! A veterinarian! She loved animals and her heart was happiest when she helped the ones who were hurt or sick, to feel better.
The little girl never forgot the bank manager, or his advice, so she set out to have fun from time time.
To this day, you can still see them both - having grown quite close to one another, almost like father and daughter you might say, having the time of their lives!
Here's a little video of the little girl, being a free spirit and making some merry music...If you stepped in certain places there were sensors that would make musical sounds. It was pretty cool!
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Over the past several weeks I've gotten several requests from family and friends alike to post some pictures. Despite some misgivings about going anywhere over the weekend (I was still stinging just a wee bit from my encounter in the park the previous day!), we went ahead and took Gaby to the Children's Museum at Saratoga and had a great time! There is so much to do there!
The pictures above are from our visit on Saturday, when Gaby got to experience a bank, working in a diner, driving a train, and being a vet, amongst several other things. I wasn't too thrilled with the idea of just slapping all the photos up here so I created a little story to go with them. Cheesy? Maybe. Fun? Definitely. Just watching the smile on Gaby's face as she went from display to display at the museum was more than enough to asauge any discomfort I was feeling about being out of the house and around people who might make fun of me...especially little kids who always seem to apt to point out the fat people. It's not wrong - because kids are, for the most part, just making honest observations. But it's still awkward (for all involved, especially the child's parents) and painful, for me. If anyone said anything or pointed, I didn't notice. My attention was focused solely on Gaby and making sure she had a great time! And ya know? That's the way it should be!
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Oh and Gaby still only gets $1 a week, but we aren't ready to make her go out and get a job any time soon. I think Santa and the Birthday Faeries will be able to take care of a few extra books and baubles that her allowance doesn't cover. Not that she spends any of her allowance anyhow. It all goes into the piggy bank!
