It's all part of being the sandwich generation: we helped my in-laws move from their home of 40-some years to a condo. Packrats that they are (bless their hearts), they couldn't manage to downsize quite as much as they needed. Result? A condo basement full of Random Indescribable Stuff. Good son and daughter-in-law that we are (patting selves on back), we offered to host a rummage sale to sell off as much of their crap, er, collection as possible. We enlisted La Petite and Amigo, of course, and away we went.
We put Amigo in charge of handling money and making change. If you're a frequent reader, you might remember that Amigo, age 17, is blind. U.S. currency isn't the greatest for vision impaired folk with its identically sized and shaped bills, so blind citizens of our fair country learn to fold it in various ways to keep track of their cash. Amigo knows how to do this, but resists because he sees no purpose in it. "Mom, will you put this in my wallet?" "I'll bring you your wallet. You fold it and put it away." "Mom, why do I have to do all the work?" Imagine the last phrase in the whiny tone that only a teen can manage. If you're wondering, I hand him the wallet to handle on his own and then I walk away. Every. Stinking. Time.
At the sale, however, I fitted him with the fanny pack (we don't use a cash box), showed him which pocket was for $5, which for $1, and which for change and for bigger bills. Without a word, he folded the fives, the tens, and the rare twenties exactly the way he's been taught, and made change each time we asked. We watched over him a few times, and then went on serving customers because, duh!, he was fine on his own. All we had to do was add up the purchase total, tell him what kind of bills they were using to pay, and he handled the rest.
In between, he read news articles about Taylor Swift, his favorite country star, who'd performed in the area two nights earlier.
Darn kid. He is capable of taking care of himself; he just digs in his heels and gets snippy at home with his parents. Growl. But behind his back, I'm smiling proudly. The kid might make it on his own after all.
I am really impressed. My kids have reminded me several times how we are one of the only countries that does not make money with blind people in mind, and how insanely unfair that is.
Posted by: Maureen at IslandRoar | July 02, 2009 at 10:39 AM
"Why do I have to do all the work?" uh-huh. What parent hasn't heard that whine before? Funny how when YOU do all the work, that's only reasonable...
Posted by: Ilona | July 02, 2009 at 09:30 PM
Amigo did good. And so did you! A rummage sale for your in-laws is a true gift of love. Being part of the sandwich generation is no picnic!
Posted by: Ali | July 04, 2009 at 05:09 AM
Girl, you are a GOOD mom. You patiently show him the way with every step.
Way to go. BOTH of you.
Posted by: Mocha | July 10, 2009 at 04:56 PM