Me? Spoil my kids? No way! I have been known to force my kids to (gasp!) drink from a water fountain rather than buy them a bottle of water. When they were in grade school, they don’t know it, but much of their clothing and toys came from tag sales. Katie had to suffer through the indignities of eating homemade bread rather than store bought because it was cheaper. Kerri was nearly the last kid in her high school to get a cell phone.

So imagine my own surprise at my behaviour the other day. Kerri comes into my office (she and I both work in the IT department at Endicott College) and asks me if I have any money. I said that I thought I had a $10 bill in my purse, and immediately got my bag out.

Kerr said, “No, Mom, I just need 125.”

To which I replied, “$125, okay, let me get out my checkbook.”

“MOM!” Kerr said, clearly not grasping this historic moment, “I need $1.25 for the soda machine! I’m thirsty!”

“Oh,” I said, realizing as I put my checkbook away that I was about to write a check for $125 to my daugther without even asking what it was for! Have I come this far in spoiling my children? Yes, we are doing OK these days; we both have college degrees, we both have jobs in technology, and we are quite lucky that both of the kids go to college for free, but still…? Money doesn’t grow on trees, and at some point, my 20-something children should be buying ALL their own toiletries, shoes, clothing, concert tickets, snack foods, dance lessons, dance shoes, dance costumes, movie tickets, magazines, school books, art supplies, hard-drives, winter coats and prescription medication.

Darned if I didn’t give her $2.50.