30 Nov A Little Less Clueless

On my first day of kindergarten,  the morning rush was more hectic than usual as my parents verified that I had all my school supplies and was properly dressed to exit the house (at the age of five, I still occasionally forgot to put on some crucial article of clothing). After making sure that I was indeed wearing pants, my mother bundled me onto the bus. Since I hadn’t had time to eat, she thrust two quarters into my hand and told me to buy my breakfast in the school cafeteria. That evening, my mother asked me how everything had gone. Fine, I replied, except I hadn’t been able to eat breakfast. It had cost forty cents. Since I had fifty cents-not the correct amount- I hadn’t tried to buy anything. Managing to keep a straight face, my mother explained the concept of receiving change. And my worldview shifted slightly....