Leo’s Lesson Seven 🐾
Leo has been on quite a journey!
He started with a simple question: What is money? That question led him down a path that changed everything he thought he knew. Now he wants to know, is there a better kind of money?
Along the way, Leo has discovered things that we were never taught in school…things that affect all of us every single day whether we like it or not.
Before Leo takes his next big step, he wants to look back at everything he’s learned so far on his journey because sometimes the most important thing you can do before moving forward is to make sure you truly understand where you’ve been and why you’re on the path you’re on.
Everything Leo Has Learned So Far
Leo sat quietly and thought about his journey. He thought about all the lessons, all the questions, and all the surprising answers he had discovered along the way. In his pursuit to find a better kind of money, he’s learned…
Lesson One: What Is Money?
Leo learned that money is not just paper or coins. Money is anything people (or in Leo’s world, dogs!) agree to use to trade for the things they need and want. And the most surprising thing Leo discovered was that money only works with trust. Without trust, money is just paper.
That was a big idea...
Lesson Two: Why Does Money Lose Its Value?
Leo learned that money does not always stay the same. Over time, money can buy less and less. Leo saw this clearly when it took more and more bones just to buy the same toys. This is called inflation. And it happens to almost every kind of money in the world.
That felt a little unfair.
Lesson Three: Money and Trust
Leo learned that trust is not just important for money. Trust is the foundation of the entire financial system. When we trust money, it works. When that trust breaks down, everything becomes harder. Those who maintain that trust have enormous power over everyone who uses it.
That made Leo think very carefully.
Lesson Four: Why We Save Money
Leo learned that saving is not really about money at all. It is about time, planning, and caring for your future self. Saving gives us options, flexibility, and the ability to dream bigger. But Leo also noticed something important. Saving only works well if what we save holds its value over time.
That led to an even bigger question.
Lesson Five: Why the Supply of Money Matters
Leo learned that the amount of money in the world directly affects how much that money is worth. When more money is created, each existing dollar becomes worth a little less. And someone always decides how much money to create.
That someone turned out to be very important.
Lesson Six: Who Controls Money?
Leo learned that money is controlled by central banks and commercial banks. These institutions decide how much money exists, how much it costs to borrow, and what happens to the value of everyone’s savings. Their decisions affect every single family whether those families know it or not.
And most families never learned any of this in school.
That felt like something worth changing.
The Pattern Leo Noticed
As Leo looked back at all six lessons, he noticed something important. Something that connected every single lesson together.
Every problem with money came back to the same thing.
Someone was always in control.
Someone decided what money was worth. Someone decided how much of it existed. Someone decided the rules, and when those decision-makers made mistakes, or when they made decisions that helped themselves more than others, everyone who used that money felt the effects.
Leo thought about the dog council in his neighborhood. The serious dogs in expensive suits sitting behind their big desk deciding how many bones everyone could have.
What if the bones themselves had rules that nobody could change?
What if the supply of bones was fixed forever and no council, no bank, and no government could ever create more?
What if money did not need to depend on trust at all?
Leo sat with those questions for a long time. They felt important. They felt like the kind of questions that could change everything and he’s learning that maybe there really is a better kind of money.
A Simple Leo Story
Leo imagined two different neighborhoods…
In the first neighborhood, a council of dogs controlled all the bones. They decided how many bones existed. They decided the rules for trading. And every few years, when things got difficult, they created more bones to solve their problems. Over time, each bone bought less. Families who had saved carefully found their savings worth less than before. And nobody could do anything about it because the council was always in charge.
In the second neighborhood, something was different. The bones had rules written into them that nobody could change. There would only ever be a certain number of these special bones. No council, no bank, and no leader could create more. The rules were the same for every dog, every day, forever.
In the first neighborhood, dogs worked hard but always felt a little behind. In the second neighborhood dogs could save confidently knowing their savings would hold their value. They could plan for the future with certainty. And they felt genuinely free in a way that dogs in the first neighborhood never quite did.
Leo knew which neighborhood he wanted to live in.
The Question That Changes Everything
Leo’s journey has brought him to the most important question he has ever asked.
If money is controlled by those who can change the rules, create more of it, and make decisions that affect everyone, is there a kind of money that works differently?
Is there a kind of money that nobody controls?
Is there a kind of money whose rules can never be changed?
Is there a kind of money that holds its value because of what it is rather than because of who is in charge of it?
Leo believed the answer was yes.
And in his next lesson Leo is going to share exactly what he discovered…there is a better kind of money!
It is the most exciting discovery of his entire journey…and it might just change the way your family thinks about money forever.
Talking About This Together
Before Leo reveals his discovery in the next lesson, here are some great questions to explore together with your family:
If you could design the perfect money, what rules would you give it?
Would you want someone to be in charge of your money, or would you prefer money that managed itself?
If saving is important, what kind of money would be best to save in?
What would it feel like to have money that nobody could control or inflate away?
These questions have no wrong answers. They are just inviting you to think more carefully about something that affects every one of us every single day.
Looking Back and Looking Forward…
Leo now understands:
The answer is coming in Leo’s next lesson…and Leo can hardly wait to share it! What is a better kind of money?
Until then, Leo keeps doing what he does best: Being curious, asking questions, and learning one lesson at a time.
Want to follow Leo on his full journey? Read Leo’s First Bitcoin! and download the free Parent and Educator Guide at LeoThePuppy.com 🐾
