Yes, they will remember…

I was behind a woman in line at CVS just a few minutes ago. She was a bit frantic, trying to keep a baby in her shopping cart and manage both a toddler and a little girl while swiping her credit card. When the cashier handed her the receipt, the woman stopped a moment to study it… then she scanned the items in her several bags.

I was thinking, “Oh, great. I’m in a hurry. Now this lady is going to demand a ‘re-count’.”

She did.

But this is how it went.

She handed the receipt back to the cashier and said, “I don’t think you charged me for the Huggies.”

And sure enough, the cashier hadn’t… possibly in the confusion of the baby and the toddler and the little girl squirming and talking and touching all the candy that is put under the cashiers just to entice customers, especially kids.

The cashier was very apologetic in an amazed sort or way at the woman with the three kids who could have had all three kids strapped in their seat belts by then. It didn’t take long to make the adjustment, but in those few moments the woman turned to me and said, “I’m sorry for taking so long, but I would never want my kids to see blatant dishonesty. Even if they never remember this.”

I smiled and said, “They will remember.” And suddenly I wasn’t in such a hurry. I felt light and happy and unencumbered by even time. I had just witnessed a great lesson in the simplest of moments. And it made me feel very, very good.

Have you ever been witness to a great lesson-moment like this?

About Audrey

Audrey McClelland has been a digital influencer since 2005. She’s a mom of 5 and shares tips on her three favorite things: parenting, fashion and beauty. She’s also a Contemporary Romance Author.

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7 Comments

  1. 11.24.08
    Erin said:

    I am impressed not only at her honesty, but that she looked at the receipt that closely. I have to admit that I rarely ever do.
    After I graduated college, I worked at Build a Bear for a few months. One of my customers was a very shy little boy. It was quiet in the store that day, so I spent a lot of time with him, making him smile, laugh, and eventually talking to me. After he and his mom left, they returned five minutes later with a bag of cookies for me. His mom explained that I made his experience so special that instead of using his allowance money to buy a cookie for himself, he asked if he could use it to buy a cookie for ME. She told him to put his money away and bought 6 cookies for him and 6 for me. I was so touched by this selfless boy, and the way his mama rewarded him for being so selfless. I imagine he’ll grow up to make someone a great husband!

  2. 11.24.08
    Heather said:

    Wow. This made me ask myself a hard question: what would I have done? Honestly, in my harried frustration, I probably wouldn’t have noticed until I got home and then wouldn’t have bothered to go back. But, you are so right. My kids need to see blatant honesty from me even when they may not have noticed any dishonesty.

  3. 11.24.08
    Poppy said:

    Your post got me right in the heartstrings. :}

  4. 11.25.08

    Well, I have now.

    Thank you.

  5. 11.25.08

    WOW what a great lesson. I have to agree with Heather I probably wouldn’t have noticed until I got home.

  6. 11.25.08
    catnip said:

    I love that she did that. I remember my mother going all the way back to the store when she’d noticed she hadn’t paid for something. Even when the manager told her she didn’t need to pay if it was their fault, she insisted on it. That’s always stuck out in my memory and I bet those kids will remember too.

  7. 12.7.08
    Melany said:

    Wow. Definitely not many people who would do that. What a great lesson

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