Which is funny. My mornings barely afforded me enough minutes to use a toothbrush, let alone a mascara wand. But my (at the time) four-year-old was (and still is) captivated by anything pink and sparkly and thus I found the two of us staring at Target's fabulous array of Lip Smackers lip balm products.
Mia wanted a new one. I later told her (only half-jokingly) to get a job. And thus, Earn My Keep was born.
The idea to turn the concept into a full program came pretty quickly. Mia wanted to be a Marine Biologist, and while I could find lots of information about what Marine Biologists do, I couldn't find how they did it. Unless, of course, you were an actual Marine Biologist who understood Marine Biology Gobbledygook.
It was pretty clear that to give her a "real" taste of the profession, I'd need to work with a real-life Marine Biologist. And maybe an Archaeologist. Interior Designer. Ooooh, a Journalist! My 16 years' experience as an Advertising Copywriter kicked in and, well, you can see where this ended up: me translating 49 adult professions into a boatload of kid-friendly tasks.
The program as it is would not exist without the 49 Earn My Keep Experts, or the Education + Child Development Review Team or every soul involved in Earn It, Learn It's development. The fact that I've become a "Money Doesn't Grow on Trees" Expert is a testament to the financial literacy professionals who have helped me shape the Earn My Keep money philosophy. And it has all come together in so many delightful ways. My role as a PBS Nightly Business Report Kids & Cash commentator is a perfect example.
Looking back, I'm still flabbergasted that we pulled the whole thing off. And if you ask how I managed to develop the program, keep my day job, take care of my kids, remain married, and still sleep at night, I will tell you: I never slept at night.
It was totally worth it.
You'll have to let me know if you agree.
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