We recently stopped at a local restaurant to pick up lunch. It was ordered ahead of time and ready to go, but this particular establishment doesn’t do curbside delivery. No problem. The food is worth unloading Big Man and Little Dude, so in we go.

While waiting in line, the older gentleman in front of us dropped a dime. He glanced around, didn’t see it, and went back to paying the cashier.

Big Man, with his eagle-eye vision and new obsession with money, immediately spotted the coin. He waited until the man shifted, picked it up and repeatedly said “Excuse me” to get his attention. When he finally got the man’s attention (it was loud and Big Man wasn’t speaking over the din, so he had to tap him on the arm), the man looked at Big Dude, then at me, back to Big Dude, took the coin and thanked him.

Big Dude stepped back closer to me. The man pocketed the coin, seemed to hesitate, then turned back to us and asked Big Dude if he had a piggy bank. When Big Dude answered, the man fished around in his pocket and handed him a quarter with the instructions he should put it in his piggy bank and save it. Big Dude was over the moon. He grinned, thanked the man and spent the rest of the day showing anyone who stopped for a second his new quarter.

It’s moments like those that I want to throw my hands up and yell “Parenting WIN!”

How about you, fellow parents? Would you share a moment when your kid did something, big or little, that made your heart swell with pride?

Thanks for reading and happy trails!