Tonight I asked Caleb and Liam where we should send our donations to help victims of the earthquake in Haiti.  I know they can’t know about the earthquake and they can’t even begin to understand their own privileged position in the world: sitting in a warm apartment eating a warm dinner (or a cold PBJ in Caleb’s case) and with an apparently endless stream of cold milk flowing out of the fridge. 

I explained that we didn’t have a lot of money, but that we were still way better off that the people of Haiti, and that we should try to help in any way we can, so how did they think we should spend our donation dollars? I explained a little about  Doctors Without Borders and Charity:Water and about the people who help build shelters. Liam thought maybe houses, but then decided doctors. Caleb thought water, and that we should all send water bottles to Haiti, too.  Then he climbed down from the table and said, they can have my money too. All my moneys that I’ve been finding all over.  

He trotted out from the bedroom holding his Altoids box, filled with mostly foreign currency and an astonishing number of quarters, which explains what happens to the loose change on my desk.  Offering to donate his findings to Haiti does mitigate his burgeoning klepto tendencies, I have to admit. 

After counting out his change and putting aside the Korean nickels, it came to $3.42, so we’ll add that amount to what we send to charity:water.  Liam wants to contribute to Doctors Without Borders, so we’ll do that too.

It’s not much, in the scheme of things, but it’s something.