You Cannot Fake True Values

I almost went to jail last week. But in the end, the situation opened up doors of opportunity to discuss deep values with my children. Are you hooked yet?!?

It all started out quite innocently. I left the eye doctor’s office last Monday following my checkup and stopped by Sonic for a drink. All I had was a $50 bill (which, incidentally, is rare – I seldom even have 50 CENTS) so I received lots of change, including two $20 bills.

After a busy afternoon, I took the girls with me to Arby’s (I know what you’re thinking and yes, we do occasionally eat non-fast food at home!) to pick up dinner. We went inside so that I could study the menu without cars honking at me in the drive-through lane (does anyone else feel enormous pressure in these instances, or is it just me?) and when it came time to pay the 12-year-old behind the counter, I pulled out one of the $20 bills I had been given at Sonic.

The employee drew a mark across the bill with his special pen and then informed me that this was counterfeit money.

By now, a long line had formed behind me, including one teacher from our older daughter’s parochial school. As the manager and several other employees gathered around the cash register and explained how they could tell the $20 was fake, I loudly announced that I had received this counterfeit bill – Satan’s money – at Sonic. My fellow diners’ faces revealed two disparate thoughts:

“Is this woman telling the truth?”
AND
“Does she ever cook or eat at home?”

Fortunately, the answers to both questions above were yes and the kind folks at Arby’s believed me. A friend later said I was lucky they didn’t take me to jail. Yikes. Meanwhile, my daughters’ eyes were as big as saucers.

So on the way home, I explained what had happened and we had a very philosophical discussion about money. The older llama said that money wasn’t important, while the younger one argued that it was. We talked about how they were BOTH right – that you had to have money in order to buy essentials like food, shelter and clothing…but that money should not become all you ever think about or focus your life on. Happiness, friendship, health, family, love and many other things were much more important – and none of those could be bought with money.

Our discussion drove home the point that even little llamas watch the way you live and observe what you make your top priorities in life – and they soak it up like a sponge. I realized that their value systems are being formed not only by what I say, but by what I do and even how I spend and approach my mostly non-counterfeit money.

What an awesome responsibility.