When you’ve got a teenager you’re always looking for ways to connect, something you can do that doesn’t generate an exaggerated eye roll. So it felt really great, when our 16-year-old asked if she could take some things to school for a Haiti earthquake drive, to say, “Sure. Go pick out $25 worth of stuff at the store.”
In my old days as Miser Mom, I would’ve dutifully searched the pantry for an extra jar of peanut butter, feeling the need to comply but secretly bemoaning the effect it would have on our grocery budget.
Rowan knows that I haven’t suddenly become a more generous person. It’s just that now we set aside money for a charity fund (or generosity generator*, as I like to call it), so I don’t have to worry about defending the spoils of our grocery budget. But every time something like this happens, I feel both smarter and more generous. I don’t know what Rowan is thinking; all that came out of her mouth was “Thanks, Mom.” But it sounded legit, and there was no rolling of the eyes.
*See “The generosity generator,” posted here Nov. 25
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