Uncle Billy

Abe's 4th grade class has a General Store. The kids have partners and they earn money doing a variety of things. One of the ways is to bring things to sell at the General Store. They can also earn money during class time. Then the General Store opens for business. The partners get to purchase things with all of the money they have earned. Stuff like cookies, folded up pieces of paper, gum wrappers, X Box 360 (just kidding), etc. You know the saying, "One boy's junk is another boy's treasure."

Abe came home from school yesterday frantically searching for something. I was more than willing to help him search because he was visibly upset. He was looking for his wallet. Which is actually Randy's old wallet. The problem is that Randy gets a new wallet every single Christmas (tradition) and Abe is a hoarder. And he has every wallet for the past 8 years - since he became a hoarder at the age of one. Hmmm...we could not find DAD'S OLD BILLFOLD FROM A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO THAT IS BROWN AND REALLY ABOUT READY TO FALL APART. You know the one - the one that is filled with ATLEAST $970 of General Store money. He had it Monday for sure. No wait - it was Friday. Nope. Monday for sure. Maybe Tuesday.

Oh buddy. This is a hard lesson. Tomorrow will come and go and by the way - do you know what you purchased at the last General Store? Where is that little folded up piece of paper with a pencil drawing of a dragon? How 'bout I draw you something and fold it up cool AND I can get you a cookie from downtown. Really - it. is. ok.

Except.....The $970 is the partner’s money, too. One of them had already been calling planning on what they were taking to sell to make MORE money. The "partners" had yet to hear that Georges' Uncle Billy* had lost all their money.

What's a mom to do? Life lesson here before me. Dropped in my lap.

• How would HE react had one of his partners lost the money?
• What could he do to make it better?
• What were his consequences going to be?
• What could he differet next time?
• Money doesn't grow on trees!!!

Then I e-mailed the teacher. I wanted to give him a heads up. Who knew how this would be playing out at 8:05 a.m.? Would he be lynched? Would the boys think this was the next Ponzi scheme? Didn't they just see a brand new Yacht behind our house? Hadn't Abe just wore a brand new Under Armour shirt the day before? Shoud I go to school with him?

Life Lesson #970. General Store is all about dealing with money. Making money. Managing money. School of hard knocks just dealt my favorite little guy a big blow. The money is gone**. They will have to earn it back. He will have to deal with his partners all by himself.

This morning I kissed and hugged him and told him it would be OK. He had an extra big box of Little Debbies*** to sell in the store and hopefully - they could recoup some of the lost dough.

Who knew we had our own little Wall Street right here.

*Uncle Billy is George Bailey's uncle in It's a Wonderful Life. He misplaces their $2000 bank deposit which is what puts George in his despair.

 **Annie's solution was to copy more money. Who would ever know? (Should I worry about this one?)

***The Little Debbie's were government mom's bailout.

****Last night at Dillons Abe was in charge of our canvas grocery bag. At check out he did not have it. We had to back track and finally found it laying with the Bananas. Need I say more????