Good for the goose, good for the gander

Owen really likes money.  He is quite money-motivated.  I don't remember being very money motivated as a kid, but I don't remember much about being 4.  Maybe I was too at that age.  If you open up Owen's piggy bank (which happens every time the boys play a round of 'The Money Game'...a created game in which all contents of two piggy banks are poured into a pile and then there is a race to refill piggy banks and get the most money in yours as fast as you can!) you find quite a collection.  Plenty of coins, sure, but a surprising number of 5, 10 and 20 dollar bills.  *MY* 5, 10, and 20 dollar bills, thank you very much.  I am often wondering how I went through my cash so quickly, and reminding Owen that money he finds in the house is not necessarily his to take.

Owen gets coins here or there for participating in chores or doing special extra 'jobs'.  Anyway, after getting his reward he usually fondles it for some period of hours, putting it in and out of his pocket, savoring his treasure (think Gollum, "My Precioussss").  Then, he inevitably leaves it out in plain sight on a table or sofa, and is devastated when it is later scattered to the four winds or missing entirely.

I should have seen it coming.

Owen:  MOM, WHERE IS MY MONEY!!!  I CAN'T FIND IT NOW!!! (whine, sob)
Me:  Owen, I've told you time and again if you want to keep your money, you've got to put it somewhere safe and keep track of it.  If you leave your money laying around, it might not be there when you get back.  
Owen:  Like when you leave your money out and I take it and put it in my piggy bank?
Me:  [Pause.  Caught.]  Yep.  Like that.  :}