Johnny recently finished the money unit in Kindergarten. Coins and bills and such.

And some things have been percolating in the little man’s mind.

My sister Karen and her husband John visited the other weekend. They were in town for Michael’s Eagle Scout Court of Honor. John is “Uncle JC” to the kids. Which distinguishes him from my brother John. Or my nephew Jack who is actually a John. Can you tell we like family names?

Anyways, Karen arrived early to help me with Becky. She was in charge of bathing Becky and dressing her for the ceremony. After a quick snuggle and nap, Karen woke up and went to the kitchen for some coffee. But she teetered on the top stair to eavesdrop on a rather intense conversation. Between Johnny and Uncle JC.

Johnny: “Are you rich?”

Uncle JC: “No.”

Johnny: “I don’t think you are telling the truth.”

Uncle JC: “Why?”

Johnny: “Cause I just went through Aunt Karen’s wallet. And I found a 20. And a 5.”

Which means Johnny’s teacher helped him to classify the individual bills accurately. And he also paid attention during the religion lesson on the Ten Commandments. Because Johnny left those greenbacks nestled among the receipts. But he was thrilled to find out that his aunt and uncle are loaded.

Money. Money. Money. He’s been talking quite a bit about it. He even insisted on a trip to the library to check out a kit from the Emporium. The Making Cents kit. Which comes with about 1000 pieces. A cash register. Play bills and coins. Books about money. If we manage to return half of it in two weeks, I’ll be satisfied.

The money unit at school. Johnny’s adventure in Aunt Karen’s wallet. The kit from the library. Somehow all of this fits together in his head. He recently shared some future plans for his life. And now it all makes sense.

Johnny: “Mom, when you and Dad die, I’ll take care of Becky.”

Me: “Well, that’s very kind of you.”

Johnny: “Yeah. But she’s gonna have to move to Florida.”

Me: “Why Florida?”

Johnny: “I’m living at Disney when I grow up.”

(Aside: Johnny has never been to Disney World or Disneyland. He’s just heard me talk about my annual trips with my sister and my parents. Obviously, it’s made an impression.)

Me: “Well, there are some really lovely homes on the Disney property. But they cost a lot of money.”

Johnny: “I’m going to be rich.”

Me: “How are you going to make your money?”

Johnny: “I’m going to be the person at Disney that collects the money. You know, when people walk in, I’ll take their money. So I’ll be rich. And Becky and I will have a great place to live.”

If it were only that simple. But Johnny’s got heart.

And he just might find a way to turn a 20 and a 5 into a fortune.