A Job Interview With My Children

Photo Credit: 6 Year Old Son

I am a busy mom with 2 sons; an eager to please 6 year old and a highly imaginative 4 year old. One day, between errands, calls and checking emails, curiosity struck me. I turned on a voice recorder for an impromptu interview with my boys at snack time. The following dialog is from that brief interview to see just how much they knew about my job as a Realtor® while chomping on goldfish crackers and slurping juice:

What does mommy do for a job?

6 Year Old: She sells houses.

What do I do every day?

6 Year Old: You look for houses for people and look through them.

Does mommy meet with people?

6 Year Old: Yes and you talk to them on the phone. You talk about how much money it is and how much it will cost and stuff. You talk about the really important stuff of the house.

What does mommy use for her job?

6 Year Old: A computer, a phone and a computer. OH! I already said that! (Laughter breaks out)

What do I put in yards?

6 Year Old: Signs! And the signs help people find the house and then they look through it! And I remember the time you got candy for the people to eat (at an open house) and you put signs in there so people know when they can look through it.

Do you think mommy sees lots of really nice houses or lots of really bad houses?

6 Year Old: A few nice houses and a few bad houses. Like that one time we went in the really bad house. It didn’t have the air conditioner connected and had lots of spider webs. It was really terrible and scary in the basement. That was a yucky house.

Do you think mommy makes lots of money or doesn’t make any money?

6 Year Old: She makes lots of money.

You think so?

6 Year Old: Yes…I don’t know…I am just making guesses.

Do you think mommy had to go to school (I did) to sell houses?

6 Year Old: No. I don’t think so. I never saw you doing that. I know you went to school for other things but I never saw you go to school.

How do you think people pay for their houses?

6 Year Old: With money.

Where do people get their money to pay for their house?

4 Year Old: From the cash register.

Where do you keep your money?

Both: PIGGY BANK!

Where do people get money to buy their houses?

6 Year Old: From their piggy bank or the regular bank like where we go sometimes.

So how much do you think a house costs?

4 Year Old: $30.

6 Year Old: A LOT MORE THAN $30! Like $50 or $60. I have no idea. I’m pretty close because some houses actually cost that much.

Do you know that mommy found the ‘turkey house’ (a house that always has wild turkeys in the yard when we visit) for aunt and uncle to move into?

Both: YES!

4 Year Old: I like turkeys.

Where do you think they (buyers) find the houses?

6 Year Old: Uh. They find the houses with the signs that point to the places where to go. And sometimes they drive around and say, “Oh that one looks nice. We should look at that one.”

So when they find the house and they want to buy it, what do they do next?

6 Year Old: They call you, mom.

What do you think happens when they find a house that they really like but they are worried that the roof is broken?

6 Year Old: Uh…I have no idea. I guess they check it with a ladder and look at it.

4 Year Old: Or use a telescope!

What would you do if you were a grown up and wanted to buy a house, who would you call?

6 Year Old: You…maybe if you were still alive when I’m a grown up.

Me: Laughing hysterically

6 Year Old: I’m saying you have to be alive for me to call you or it won’t work!

Would you want to be a Realtor when you grow up?

6 Year Old: Maybe.

What do you think the best part of mommy’s job is?