queenjane555

Seamus is 9 (almost 10)years old. Yesterday, he said he wanted to go
for a long bike ride, and asked me to pack him a lunch and something
to drink, which i did. I also gave him some money in case he wanted
to buy something to eat instead. And my cell phone in case he needed
to talk. So off he went.

Later, he came in with a box of left-over Chinese food. He said he
decided to go to Shong-Hey instead(its our local family owned
chinese place, been there since i was a kid, the only egg rolls i've
ever had anywhere made with bean sprouts instead of cabbage. Its
about a mile down the road.)He told me they offered him a kid's
menu, but he just wanted chicken and brocolli, he sat at a booth and
had lunch by himself. He also said he got a really good fortune
(when we go together, he doesnt like to read his fortune) "A good
thing will happen soon for your family". He said he took the bike
path through the park on the way there, and noticed seven ducks in
the river (which is really just a drainage ditch)...and "seven is a
lucky number!And there are NEVER ducks there!" So he was feeling
very positive about the whole trip.

Later he was retelling this whole story to my sister, and she
asked "Did ya leave a tip?" My heart kind of sank, because i thought
he surely forgot. But this is what he said instead: "Yeah, i only
left a dollar. But my meal was just over $5, so i figured a dollar
is 20 percent right? So i thought that would be enough."

Well. I mustve told him at some point about tips, about leaving 10-
20 percent. Or maybe he just noticed that, since we go out to eat
alot, and i talk alot about everything we do.

So i felt very proud. Yes, proud that my son knew, in a real-world
situation, what 20 percent of his bill would be. But more than that,
i was proud that he was confident enough to eat in a restaurant by
himself (i *never* wouldve done that at his age! Probably not even
now.), that he was observant enough to see the beauty in seven good
luck ducks swimming in the park, and that he was thoughtful enough
to even leave a tip. And to top it all off my very forgetful "in the
moment" boy didnt even forget his backpack at the restaurant.

I'm so looking forward to his teenage years! I think its just gonna
get better and better.


Katherine

Gold Standard

Wow Katherine! That was a fabulous story! Thanks for sharing it!

Jacki


>>Seamus is 9 (almost 10)years old. Yesterday, he said he wanted to go
>>for a long bike ride...<<