(Originally posted on April 13, 2009 on yourownteacher.com)
The best teachable moments come when you aren't looking for them. This was all to apparent when a good one popped up the other day.
My child's class was selling bracelets they made for a charity project. Well, we were counting the money he collected after selling the first three bracelets. It took me back to a moment in time when I was doing a fundraiser at my elementary school (the dreaded chocolate candy sales) and my Father was trying to teach me how to add up the appropriate amount of money for product sold versus how much was actually collected and how to know how much change needed to be returned. Especially if one's parents puts up the initial money for a relative and the relative pays later. Back to the story....
Sitting there explaining to my child that we owed mommy two dollars because she provided the change from a bracelet sale initiated the flashback. We discussed how things work when you buy something and get change. I used the example of when he buys something from the store and gives the cashier a five dollar bill and is due change. We used math to figure out how much money there should be and how much was owed to mommy.
The coolest part for me was my connection to my father. That one memory helped me extend the connection to my child. When we were done (to help smooth over my child's frustration) I told my child how the same thing happened with me and Grampy (instant smile).
End results: Lessons learned. Memory remembered. Memory created. Family connection made. Smiles and hugs all around.
