Sneaking Past the Payer: An Innate Criminality

We have started a sticker chart system for Jack and Molly to reward good behavior. When they are obedient or kind, they are rewarded with a sticker. When they get fifteen stickers, they can earn a toy. Tonight, we cashed in stickers at Toys R Us. The catch is that each sticker chart is worth ten bucks. Well, Jack fell in love with a Buzz Light Year toy that costs 22 dollars, too much! We didn't buy it for him, and he picked out something else. However, he was so sad, which I know, translates into a bit spoiled. On the way home, he was strategizing about how to get the toy, and one of his schemes when he realized he didn't have enough money, was to grab Buzz and "Sneak past the payer" without giving him any money. Of course, we laughed, and I told him his idea would result in little boy prison time, and the police would come and get him. Finally, we persuaded him to ask what he could do to earn more stickers to get his coveted toy. Tonight, he said "Let's take a bath for one sticker!" Maybe we made it through to him, but still, I confess that I think he would "sneak past the payer" with Buzz if he had access to a reliable car to get him to Toys R Us. Molly Ann was perfectly happy to have a princess purse for a "ball with the prince", so she could dance with King Jacob, a boy from her class. We got dressed up after our trip, and she danced with Prince Daddy.