As parents, we always want the best for our children. We want to teach them valuable life lessons and skills that will help them become independent, thoughtful individuals. However, finding creative ways to impart these lessons isn't always easy. My wife and I started a project called OddBeanie as an experiment to teach our kids self-reliance, decision making, and business skills in engaging way.
OddBeanie began as a way to spend quality time with our kids, ages 8 and 4 at the time, while also teaching them financial literacy. One day, after telling them we couldn't afford to buy them some toys they asked how we earned and made money. We explained how much we work and what is required to generate income. A few days later, when I took a day off work to pick them up from school, they were confused and asked how I was able to do that. We laughed and explained that I had taken time off to spend with them. In response, they insisted I return to work to "make more money so we can get those toys!"
This interaction sparked an idea. Over the following months, we thought of ways to teach our kids about hard work, using skills productively, and being financially responsible. I started doodling characters, like Milton the dog and Eddie the gorilla, to help bring these lessons to life. The kids came up with stories and ideas for using these characters, eventually inspiring OddBeanie, a line of kids clothing and accessories.
OddBeanie has become an imaginative way for our family to showcase friendship, relationships, kindness, and other positive values. The characters represent different personalities and the stories follow their adventures learning life skills together. We even created products featuring the characters for our kids to test, which they love and feel proud to have helped design.
After two years developing this creative, we launched the OddBeanie website to share our products and stories with other families. OddBeanie is an adventure in learning and growing with your kids. We hope it inspires empathy, thoughtful decision making, and fun with parents and children everywhere. Join us on this journey - you never know what exciting places it may lead!
