So, I recently found out that around here, we are considered a “needy” family.  How did I find this out?  Well, to make a long story long, it started out at a Women’s Fashion Show and Luncheon at a Resort Retirement Community I attended last week (and no, I’m not a senior, nor retired, but accompanied my boss to it).  Several community ladies modeled fashions from a local upscale resale store, and attendees were encouraged to shop there, as it is a non-profit store that is staffed by volunteers, with all proceeds benefiting women’s shelters and children’s charities.

It was indeed a fun luncheon – the ladies had quite the personalities as they strutted across the stage, modeling their finds and showcasing a variety of “looks” that encompassed daily attire to holiday fashions.  Racks of clothing and tables of accessories were set up in the lobby of the ballroom for patrons to shop at during/after the event.  When I got up to use the restroom, I paused to look at the items and started chatting with one of the volunteers from the store.  She let me know about the great charities the funds were used to benefit and mentioned that she was heavily involved with an organization called “Operation School Bell.”

“Oh, I’ve heard of that,” I said “My 10 year old son came home last week with a paper about it.  It wasn’t on a day we could attend, but he was supposed to go pick out some things at Target to donate to other children.”

“Well, if your son received it, then it was meant for him, not for him to donate,” she informed me.

Say what????

Now I was really confused, and also a bit embarrassed.  Had I been sending him to school in ragtag clothes?  True, he favored wearing jogger type sweatpants for their comfort factor, and an occasional hole in the knee never seem to bother neither him, nor I.  He was growing tall pretty quickly, but no, he wasn’t sporting floods either.  I always made sure his teeth were brushed, his shoes were brand new, and although his hair was a little on the long-ish side, that’s the way he likes it.

“There must have been some mistake,” she told me, seeing the perplexed look on my face.  “The kids are identified through the school, but I’m sure there’s an explanation.”

Well, there must be, I thought.  Did Dev let it slip that we didn’t make it to Hawaii this summer?  Did he accidentally mention that he doesn’t have his own TV and Xbox set-up in his bedroom?  Did we buy some generic brand of snacks some well-meaning aide noticed in his lunch bag?  Or maybe I should have embraced the whole thing and sent little Dev to Target with a list of sundries we were short on – he could grab some toilet paper and dog treats, hey that stuff goes fast around here.

Despite my confusion, I had to laugh.  Living in a So-Cal beach town that Wikipedia describes as “an affluent seaside resort city” and boasts a median family income of $102,000 is honestly fabulous.  I love my gated neighborhood, the excellent schools and literal proximity to the beach.  But maybe now I have to step up my game.  So, I’m looking into booking a Disney cruise.  And making sure Dev mentions it in his next oral report.