Pay Yourself

Kaka strikes again!!! After the exhaustive weekend jogging session, the brothers come back with their father, holding a pack of their favorite breakfast from the nearby eatery. Naanna(father) takes out the 500 rupee bills freshly withdrawn from the ATM and starts giving them to amma(mother) counting the dues to be paid for the month, under each head....'x rupees for the milkman, y for the maid, z for the newspaper....', the list continues until all the amount lands into amma's hands. While the parents are busy planning their finances for the month, the kids unpack the tiffin into their respective plates. Kaka, the 8-year old, whom the parents thought was enjoying his mysore bajji, has also been closely observing the transaction. He takes a bite of the bajji, turns towards naanna and says, 'this is the money that you have earned for yourself. So, don't give away all of it. Pay a part of it back to you too... for whatever you did and everything you had to go through the last month'...and then, 'pay something to amma who does everything for us and retain another part as savings....Please don't use all of it!!!' The parents are pleasantly surprised, thoroughly amused and tenderly touched!! An eye-opener that left amma and naanna blankly staring at each other as to how on earth did they consider this mature advice-giver, their baby boy all these days??!!