I never claimed to be a role model.

Sadie and I went to Somerset on Sunday with my friend Susan. The best way to take a child shopping is to bribe him or her with a trip to a store like The Lego Store or Build-a-Bear. Since Susan is NOT a big "kid-person", I decided to bribe Sadie with a trip to both stores.

Let me start by saying that I love to buy nice things and I love to save money. I was armed with my "$10 off any Build-a-Bear purchase" coupon as well as the $10 gift card I had paid $5 for before Christmas. We entered the Build-a-Bear store. We perused the clothing section and decided on a nice pink skirt, pink sequin shoes and a pink shirt with the Eiffel Tower (Sadie's favorite) on it. Cut to the check out line. I'm almost giddy when the clerk tells me my total: 67 cents. She asks if I would like to make a donation to some charity, maybe it was a Children's Literacy Foundation or something. I say, "No thanks" and dig around for the 67 cents in my wallet. I smile, grab my bag and turn to leave.

Sadie reaches in her purse, pulls out a $5 bill and tells the clerk that she would like too make a donation to the kid's charity. The lady has to ask another associate how to ring in a donation without a purchase. I stand there dumbfounded. Clearly, I am the worst role model in the entire universe. Sadie gladly hands over her $5 and we walk out.

What's that they say about a teachable moment? Guess I have a lot to learn.