Thursday, January 26, 2017

The Color of Money

This morning, I got swindled
By Lucy
Yes, the same Lucy I gave birth to
She swindled me
At Linscott, there is a little school store open on Tuesdays and Thursdays for all of 10 minutes in the morning
It's called Cal's Cart
At Cal's Cart, the kids can buy pens, pencils, erasers...little school supply like things
Erasers shaped like animals, hamburgers, ice cream cones, computers, robots and zombies
Pens and pencils decorated with various characters, animals, emojis and colors
Little kitschy things kids love and hoard
Little kitschy things we parents secretly hate and throw away when they are not looking
Cal’s Cart is sponsored by/run in conjunction with the PTO
The same PTO I am a part of
The same PTO I attend meetings for once a month
The same PTO at which we check in with Cal's Cart; what we spend on and what we bring in from Cal's Cart
So last Thursday, I told Lucy I wanted to give her some money for Cal's Cart at school
She has been fantastic in her behavior of late at both school and home
I wanted to do something to acknowledge that
(ok fine, except for one quick trip to the Principal earlier this week but in my defense, this “reward” happened before she was sent to him)
So I thought a trip to Cal’s Cart was in order
On the way to school that Thursday, Lucy realized she forgot to put on her Fit Bit
She really wanted to have it as she had gym and Super Sports after school which meant her activity points would be off the chart
And she loves when she hits her goals on her Fit Bit
She asked if we could turn around and go get it
I pointed out to her that if we went back, we would not make it to school in time for Cal's Cart so she had to make the decision
Lucy decided her Fit Bit and tracking her goals was more important
So I spontaneously blurt out
Honey! I am so proud of your choice!
I'm going to give you enough money for at least two things at Cal's Cart!
She was thrilled and I went to work feeling like a rock star mom
This past Tuesday school was delayed two hours so no Cal’s Cart
But today, today was Thursday
She woke me up with a sweet kiss and yelling in my right ear
HAPPY CAL’S CART DAY!!!!!!
Happy Cal’s Cart Day indeed! I thought as I burrowed under the covers
When I dropped Lucy off at school, I proudly handed her a dollar bill
Is this enough pal?
She cocked her head to the side…
Umm….well, you said I could get 2 things Mumma…….
No problem I say as I whip out a second dollar bill still feeling like a rock star mom
A peck and a hug around the neck and I send her on her way
But as I’m pulling away, I realize……..wait, $2 for Cal’s Cart…I could have sworn that stuff was….hang on a minute……
I dialed Sean’s number
Honey, when you give Lucy money for Cal’s Cart, how much did you give her?
$.50 he replied
$.50?
Yeah, $.075 at most
Umm, how many things can she get with .50? I ask
Probably two he says
That stuff is pretty cheap Maria
Our kid just swindled me! I say
He started laughing
Seriously! I just gave her $2 for Cal’s Cart!
He laughed harder
When I handed her $1, she looked at me funny and when I asked if that was enough for two things, she sort of looked at me funny so I gave her a second dollar…I think Lucy just hustled me!
Yep he said chuckling
My own daughter I say….
This morning, I got swindled, by a seven-year-old….

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