Pride

I realized this morning that, because we tend to shield the kids to some degree from television news, etc., Em probably didn't know about Katrina. So I tod her, and during the conversation N wandered into the room, and picked up what I was saying, and hen I took out the LA Times to show them some pictures, so they could get an idea of the devastation.

It would have been a perfect family moment if the LA Times I pulled out wasn't yesterday's which featured a photo of a body floating in the water. Niiiiice.

While we were talking, Baroy told Em that we'd donated some money as a family, but Em wanted to do something herself. So she went and got her "savings," which is money to be spent on others--charity, presents for family, etc.--and gave me $15 to "send to the poor children."

A few minutes later, N came into the room. "Mommy, can you get my box?" (He gets a dollar a week allowance, which he almost never spends, because he doesn't have the consumer impulse like his sister does.) "I want to count how much money I have for the poor peoples."

So, between my 8-year-old and my 4.5-year-old, I now have $25 sitting on my desk, waiting for me to find just the right place to send it. And I have a lot of pride in my heart, especially for N, who's showing a level of empathy I didn't know he possessed.