The Widow's Mite and McDonald's

People often take note of the uncanny similarities in personality, temperament, etc., between Ian and my older brother, who was his godfather.  One thing my brother would do, would be to maintain an extremely "Scottish" attitude toward expenditures in general, and then routinely treat people at restaurants and elsewhere.  Someone asked him how he could be so frugal in some areas and so generous in others, and he explained that the frugality in everyday life allowed for a modicum of expenditure with and for the people he cared about.

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Tonight, on the way home from Boston, we made took a bathroom break at a truck stop on the Interstate, and, as always, the fact that it had a McDonalds, made the whole layover much more complicated.  I explained to both boys that we're not spending any money at McDonalds (for me, it's actually a matter of principle, particularly regarding this corporation), but Ian was still undaunted, and gathered up the dollar-coin and a quarter, and perhaps a few more pieces, that he had in his pocket.  This couldn't be helped; McDonalds is selling plasic Pokemon right now, as part of their Happy Meal ploy, and Amy has already made the journey with the children to buy the toys, without actually purchasing the meal.  [Again, our ethnic frugality prevails.]  So Ian thought he could buy such a toy for a mere one-dollar-and-some-cents, but it turned out that these particular toys, at this particular captive-clientele-exploiting emporium, cost something random and more expensive, along the lines of $2.24.

Ian didn't have that much, and he knows I won't bankroll McDonalds, so he turned with an impressive equanimity to make his way toward the door.  However, just when I thought we were "home  free" and nearly outside the building, Ian spontaneously turned around and ran back.  Of course, this frustrated me - we really needed to get home - but to my surprise, he came back almost as quickly and headed for the  car.  In the parking lot, he explained the purpose of the second trip to McDonalds:  he figured that since he couldn't use his money to buy a new Pokemon, because he couldn't afford it, he may as well put it in the charity box at McDonalds, to help the needy.

I always complain about the pain-and-suffering that comes with having children who are smarter than you, but tonight I enjoyed the pride, and edification, of having a child who's really much more thoughtful than me, in his basic instinct.

(July 7, 2012)