If You're Gonna Dream, Go Big Or Go Home...

I enjoy reading The New York Times and the financial advice on msn.com. This evening I read a story that made me smile in spite of myself.

Apparently a seven year old boy was perusing E-bay (there are way too many things I could say, but this would again be shooting fish in a barrel) when he found the bright "Buy It Now" button to purchase the fighter plane you see here. According to MSNBC he found the plane, wanted it, and clicked the shiny temptation button. And just like that - he was the owner of a Harrier fighter jet. Well, at least until Dad found out and called Jet Art Aviation to explain the situation.

Silly as it may sound, several things about this story made me smile. First of all, imagine the pure joy in this little boy's heart believing a fighter jet would be delivered right to his door. The thrill must have been overwhelming for his innocent little soul. Better yet was the fact Jet Art Aviation was so great in understanding the father's plight (and the fact he didn't actually have $113,000 in his PayPal account to complete the purchase) they canceled the transaction. No one was sued, no lawyers were hired, it all just went away. How fly-in-the-face of our you-have-somehow-wronged-me-and-the-only-way-to-make-it-better-is-sue-you-litigious society.

Of course, it did not take long for folks to equate the child's parents to serial killers for letting the child troll E-bay (I withhold all comments; again, shooting fish in a barrel.) But I would be remiss if I didn't admit my nagging thought about our society's tendency to buy it now, regardless if we can actually afford it. For instance, I am not crazy about the fact our schools let our children have account cards for parents to put cash on so little Jimmy or Susie can just swipe the plastic to purchase lunch. And I was totally not happy the day my daughter brought $5 with her for lunch and rather than give her change the cashier told her the balance would be applied to her "account." Not cool. I want my children to pay with cash, be able to count their change, and not get used to a little plastic card covering their wants. If they don't have the cash they can't have it. But that's just me. How was this kiddo supposed to know?

However, this thought was fleeting in comparison to my happiness for the moment of joy this little guy had in living the dream. I hope someday he gets his fighter jet and soars to the clouds in it. In the meantime, I thank him for bringing a smile to my day.