Call the Cops

Since Emily and Blair have been back at Grandma’s they have been learning about the importance of an allowance,  how to save it and not lose it, how to spend it and so on.  Now mind you, this is no small undertaking. There is a lot of thought that has to go into such a learning process. 

• First of all you must explain the importance of this funny looking green piece of paper, and why it should be put up and not just left on the floor, or under the couch, or in the frig.  It must be put away for safe keeping, saved for the day you go shopping to get something special for yourself or someone else.

• Second, you must learn to save enough to get something worthwhile, not just a piece of dollar junk to throw in the trash as soon as you get home.

• Third, and most important, you must learn to take your money with you when you do go shopping.  This is very important. Especially to the grandma who is taking you shopping.

Now I promised Emily and Blair that they could go to Wal-Mart with me and spend their allowance. They were thrilled!  We invited Abby, our neighbor girl who Blair just loves, to go with us. We were almost to Wal-Mart when Blair announced that he had forgot his money. (A true Mama moment if I ever saw one.)  Emily started to cry. She also had forgot her money. (Two Mamas.)

The conversation went kinda like this:

Grandma:    Well kids, what are you going to get with you money?
Blair:    OH NO!  Grandma, I forgot my money! We need to go back home!
Emily:   Me too, Grandma.  I forgot mine too.  Let’s go back.
Grandma: No! We cannot go back now kids. We have come too far. I’ll tell you what we can do. I will pay for your toys and you can pay me back when we get home. 
Emily: Okay Grandma.  I will give you my money when we get home.
Blair: Not me. You can’t have my money Grandma. It’s my money.
Grandma: Blair, Grandma is going to loan you $6 to buy yourself a toy. Then you can give it back to me when we get home. 
Blair: Why do I have to give you my money Grandma?  It’s my money!

Now about this time I figure I am just wasting my breath trying to get him to understand the concept of a loan.  So we just go on to Wal-Mart and hit the toy section first.  We spend at least 45 minutes searching for a wonderful $6 toy.  Good luck with that!  Finally I gave in and accepted the fact that I would have to let them get a $9 toy and think it was a $6 toy. That was the only way out of the toy section. Blair picked out a pack of two motorcycles with guys to ride them and Emily picked out, of course , a toy cell phone.  They were both thrilled with their finds.

We continued on through the store.

Emily: Grandma, can you open this now?
Blair: Me too, Grandma.  Can you open mine too?
Grandma: We have to pay for them first.

We finally got to the counter and paid for the wonderful treats.  They had now been paid for and ready to open.

Blair: Can you open it now Grandma?
Grandma: Maybe when we get in the car Blair.
Emily: Me too Grandma!

We get in the car and start down the road.

Blair: Grandma, you forgot to open my toy! Can you open it now?
Grandma: You will have to wait till we get home now Blair. I am driving and can’t do it now.

We get home and start carrying in the groceries.  All the while in the back ground the same chant keeps ringing in my ears.

Emily and Blair:  Can you open it now Grandma?  Can you open it now?

Abby comes to the rescue. She opens up both toys and saves me from the endless chanting.

Now they are busy playing with the toys and I, of course, have to remind them that it is now payback time.  I tell them to go and get me the $6 they owe me.  Emily goes and retrieves her $6 and brings it to me with no problem.  Blair on the other hand was a whole different matter.  He begins with, “Why do I have to give you my money? It’s my money, Grandma.”

“A deal is a deal. Go get me my money.”

He hangs his head and reluctantly heads for his room and the secret drawer where he has hid his stash.  He comes into the living room and hands me $3 dollars.  I look at him and ask,”Where is the other $3 dollars.”

He looks back at me and tells me, “That is all you get, Grandma!”

I looked at him and pointed my finger in the direction of the secret drawer, “Go get me three more dollars young man.”

His face turned into a distorted mess.  He turned and, ever so slowly, walked into his room and brought the money and threw it at me. I told him to come back and count me out $6 dollars.  Reluctantly, he came and counted out the $6 dollars.

A few minutes later he came back out of his room holding the phone I had given him. (One that I had been going to throw away, but he keeps charged up in his room so that it will make noise.)
He was busy dialing the phone.  Granddad saw him and asked, “Who are you calling, Blair?”

“I am calling the cops to come and get Grandma for stealing my money. Grandma you are going to jail.  You stole my money!”

I was floored!  He had called the cops on me.  That little Rat Fink! Snitch!  Oh, sorry, I mean I told him that if he wanted his money back, that we would need to make a trip back to Wal-Mart to take his toy back, and let them give his money back. Needless to say, he was still dialing the cops when I went to bed.

Grandma Jeff