Wednesday, April 23, 2008

The $41 Mystery

As background, I should say that WB has always been a bit of a story-teller. He's always on the cusp of truth vs fiction and we often have to ask..."Are you telling the truth, or making up a story?"

Having said all that, imagine our surprise when we received an email from WB's teacher this morning. She said that WB appeared in class today with money in hand to spend at the school store. (That is a little PTO project which carries items from .10 to 2.00. It is "open" once a week, on Wednesday and students can buy candy/junk for after school.) The only problem...WB had $41! $41 which he was proudly flashing to all his classmates.

When asked, WB said that he'd asked his dad for $$ for the school store this morning. As is often the case as we try to rush out the door in the morning, Dad said, "When is it? We'll see...." When he arrived at school for "before care", WB was surprised to find $41 hidden in an interior pocket of his backpack.

He told the teacher, with his dangling tooth grin, that the money had "just appeared." Mrs. H. took the $$ and placed it in an envelope in her desk to hold it for WB. She explained that she didn't want him to lose it, that he wasn't in trouble, and that she would keep it for him. As luck would have it, the store was closed today due to standardized testing and all $41 returned home tonight.

When we got the email, JB and I were immediately worried. He said, "I didn't put $41 in his backpack, did you?" "Of course I didn't!" I replied "I don't have $41!" We guessed...where did he get $41?? He can't open his piggy bank, but he is famous for picking up $$ left on the counter or washing machine and "claiming" it as his. He sure has been fibbing a lot lately, but SURELY we don't have a thief under our roof???

This evening, we confronted the boy..."where did you get that money?.....I didn't put it there...Dad didn't put it there....where'd you get that money?" He stuck to his story...he "found it"...in the backpack..."I promise...I didn't take it...I didn't take it...I promise...I "found it"...I didn't put it there." He cried, he whaled...I felt terrible...He's fooled us before, but I wanted to believe him...he was seriously upset...but I'm tired of being lied to.

So I ask WB to go get his backpack and show me where he "found" the money. He bounds upstairs and returns. He unzips the bag, rips open a Velcro pouch, digs down and shows a little hidden pocket...he said he didn't even know it was there before today.

And then...

I remember...

as we frantically raced to pack for Vietnam...I didn't have a diaper bag...I dumped the boy's backpack and filled it with stuff for little sister. It was my purse and sister's diaper bag for two weeks. And I remember, when I was trying to organize myself, how pleased I was to find a hidden pocket (inside a pocket) where I could safely stash some quick cash for the trip.

It just took the boy three months to find it and he just happened to find it on a day that he'd asked for money. So today, he thought he had the best parents in the world, and we didn't even believe him because of all of his "stories."

Even though I know he was hurt that we didn't believe him, I think/HOPE the situation made an impression on him and he learned a lesson in the value of ALWAYS about telling the truth. Time will tell....


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

We have the next available appointment with "The Man"...next Wednesday! I'm so excited! FINALLY! The lymph node is getting bigger, but it doesn't seem to bother her and she's still goo-free.


Marla, the BCG vaccine is given in developing countries to those that are at increased risk for exposure to TB. It isn't given (across the board) in the US, and (as far as I can determine) hasn't been given in modern history to babies here. There are some common side effects, mostly ulceration (to varying degrees) at the injection site. Since it isn't given here, there aren't many doctors with experience in dealing with the side effects. So, when a kid starts to have issues, it is very difficult to find credible answers. That's where we are, but hopefully we'll know more this time next week.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

How funny!

Dania Efird said...

We have the same problem with Xavier telling us the truth! We mostly just ask if he's telling the truth, b/c he can't really lie to our faces! His expression gives him away! Our "wait" could be anywhere from 4 months to 12 months. We've heard that right now referrals are coming in quickly, so we're optimistic that we'll have a baby by Christmas, but in reality they say we could be waiting up to 12 months. SO just pray for quick referrals! We're about 11 or so on the list waiting for referrals!

Anonymous said...

Glad you found the $41 mystery.Reminds me so much of the time that I spanked you and David for the wet spot on the den floor because I thought you had broken a rule and brought a drink into the den and spilled it. The spot kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger -- finally we called a plumber to find the leak in the slab floor.

Will be so happy when you finally see the "Man." Hope he has the anwser and a quick fix. Mimi

Dianna said...

We've had a similar problem with Natalie. Partially, I think it's just the age - storytelling (which we prefer to saying 'lie' *lol*) is so much more exciting than telling the truth. It has been getting better... hopefully this is a stage they grow out of quickly.

Oh, and definitely sorry to hear about the undeserved spanking due to the plumbing leak! Parents can be so unreasonable :)

DawnHa said...

I love your story about the $41. Ky is really into storytelling these days too, and it can be quite challenging as parents to deal with it.

Lily has had a problem with rashes or red bumps too. It has been hard to tell what has been causing them. I think sometimes it is a new food or a reaction to a . Other times she gets them when she is coming down with an ear infection or other virus. She used to get them all the time and we hardly see them at all now.

Adoption Timeline

  • 01/01/08 - Home at Last
  • 12/24/07 - G & R
  • 12/18/07 - Travel
  • 12/7/07 - Travel Packet/VISA Authorization
  • 12/06/07 - I-600 Approval
  • 11/16/07 - I-600 Received for Review
  • 09/26/07 - Referral
  • 03/23/07 - Log in Date
  • 02/23/07 - Dossier to Vietnam
  • 02/08/07 - Dossier to Agency
  • 08/08/06 - Switched to Vietnam Program from China Program