Last Sunday I asked one of my grandsons to hold one of those kids’ sales on our front lawn. I wanted to get rid of many books that have been cluttering our shelves. These are books no one reads anymore, and are useless for my husband and me, since our children grew up and moved out. The adult kids take what they can (after much cajoling by this mother) to their new homes, we donate many books to the library and schools, but the rest, shall I say, sit and gather dust on our bookshelves.

I figured it would be win-win. I’d get some of my clutter out of the way and my grandson would have a good time. He brought a friend and held the book sale – and threw in sodas for drivers who wanted a fresh drink. They were out there for a few hours on our street having fun. I was inside getting work done in the house and I kept checking up on them.

These kids are eleven; they love earning money whether it’s by selling sodas, and setting up lemonade stands. So, this time they put out a small bookcase, with a stack of books that I chose for them to try selling. They decided on the bargain of $1 per book. Since I live on a pretty busy street, they had at least two or three customers in the three hours that they stood out there. They earned about $18 including the sale of sodas, and had a great time. Their parents picked them up later on and everyone was thrilled about a day spent on healthy fun.

Kids can practice money skills at this young age. Many kids hold backyard camps, do babysitting, or devise other ways to earn money during their free time. And even though I had my own agenda here (to get rid of clutter, right?), I knew that I was offering my grandson something to do that he can benefit from. And he happens to like doing it. And, he told me afterward that he was giving part of the earnings to charity. Good going!

This activity got me thinking about the things I ask my kids and grandchildren to do for me. Often, I have a need such as fixing stuff that breaks in my home. If my husband can’t do it, we usually call my third son who is extremely handy and he comes over and fixes it. Anything technological is best taken care of by that son. He’s a whiz.

My other kids are terrific at helping as well. Each one has strengths in different areas, and are able to help my husband and I out in a pinch.

But with the grandkids I have to be more clever about it. If I ask my grandsons to come help me clean my closet one day, they might do it (they’re actually very organized), but isn’t it much better when I make it fun for the kids as well? Win-win.

If I think about ways for everyone to benefit, I know I’ve succeeded at making the activity motivating.

Which reminds me: I want to see the kids so I think I’ll invite them to have pizza one night this week. The parents get a night off from cooking, the kids enjoy the eating out, and we the grandparents get to kvell with our kids and grandchildren around us.

What are some things you grandmothers do that are enjoyable for everyone involved?