We always wonder just how much the children understand when we try some new project. Do they really understand what living on a strict budget means? You can ask them, of course, but they may well say that they get it without really getting it. It's their actions that tell you the real story. So when we witnessed an unscripted scene in the kitchen yesterday we allowed ourselves the luxury of a smile.
Rebekah was making herself a sandwich, slathering on mayonnaise onto a piece of bread. She used so much that the bread became soggy and fell onto the counter in a gloppy mess. She tossed the whole oozing pile into the trash and blithely proceeded to get out another slice of bread to replace it (the sandwich must go on!). That's when the trouble began.
Erik, Elisabeth, and Katharine descended on her.
"Beka, that is so wasteful! After all, we ARE on a budget!" cried Elisabeth
Erik piggy-backed on her sentiment, "Yeah, we should start charging five cents for every piece of food you waste!"
Rebekah's eyes grew bigger as she realized that she'd been caught by the Junior Food Police. Then Kat chimed in,
"Maybe you should not get as much food for dinner because you are being so wasteful."
That did it. The scared look appeared on Rebekah's face. It seemed to say "Were they REALLY going to charge me or take food away from me?!" Peer pressure had its desired effect.
They get it. Smile.
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