Working Hard for a Living

Benjamin on the street.

Not long ago, we were downtown running an errand. Jeff ran into a store while the kids and I stayed put outside. I stood thinking about which books we needed to return to the library and what to make for dinner, when Benjamin suddenly whipped out a harmonica, threw his Paul Revere hat on the ground, and began to play a slightly drunken version of Taps. I wasn't sure whether to laugh, cry, or tell the mocassin-clad manchild to knock it off. So I took a picture. I later learned of his plan to "contribute to the family unit" (as so perfectly stated by Holly Hunter in Raising Arizona). He'd previously offered up his piggy bank, and I guess this was the next step. Since the street playing wasn't incredibly productive (he only earned $1 from his Dad), he's also mentioned his plan to make money from some new dance moves he's working on OR by selling some of his drawings for $2 per picture. Seven years old and already taking care of the family. What a guy.