Kudos to you, Mom!

Today, I've been at the Epilepsy Association's fundraiser, Crop Because You Care. Originally I signed up to just come and scrapbook all day long... but then I remembered my friend who has a surplus of scrapbooking stuff and likes to contribute to good causes. So she donated a bunch of it to be sold, with 60% of the proceeds going towards a summer camp for youth with epilepsy!

And I'm now sitting here selling items for the lowest price ever of 25 cents! WOW!!

Anyways... there are other vendors, of course, and I'm writing to sing the praises of the one right next to me. She brought her nine-year-old daughter as her assistant, and so I've had the opportunity to watch them interact. It has been beautiful!

They are selling bling -- fancy necklaces that have extra hooks so you can change how they hang. I am selling a different sort of bling -- stickers. As could be expected, the daughter is attracted to the items on my table, and asks how much they cost.

I tell her that because she is a good neighbor, she can have something for free!

Her mother graciously prompted her to show gratitude, and then as they start picking out a prize, their conversation goes something like this:

"Oh, that would go nicely in your room."

"I want this, I think."

"Okay. What would you do with that?"

"Umm, I don't know, I just like it."

"This is in that same style, and it could go on your bulletin board!"

"Yeah! Good idea! And this one sort of matches it."

"Well, Regan is giving us one free item. If you'd like more than one, you'll need to earn some money to pay for it. I have some lollipops that you can be in charge of selling so you can earn the money."

And then the sweet girl proceeded to sell the lollipops!

What did this wise mother teach in this transaction??

• Choosing carefully, so as to avoid the acquisition of useless clutter.
• Respecting someone's style preference
• Earning money before spending it
• Patience! Gratitude! Salesmanship!

But it doesn't stop there...

This event is taking place on the second floor of a movie theater, and there are a couple of handicap-accessible doors into the theaters. A few minutes ago, several teenagers appeared at the top of the stairs and, trying to act nonchalant, entered the theaters.

We fairly assumed that they were sneaking in.

And the mother commented with sadness in her voice to her daughter, "That's dishonest."

The daughter nodded, mirroring her mother's disappointment. Powerful.

Wow. Wow again! Hooray for this mom. Even though my blog won't win her any fame (since my blog doesn't get millions of readers), I am honoring her here -- and that seems to follow the pattern of motherhood. Doing it well won't make you famous, but it will impact the next generation in powerful ways.