In the nation-wide department store that I work in we have a giant gumball machine in the juniors department. The other day as I walked down the aisle, I saw a little girl trying to turn the knob. The sphere holding the gumballs is about 3 feet wide and the knob is about three feet off the ground. The little girl was struggling, so I went over to help her. She wasn't the first child I helped get their gum. Being a little kid at heart, I can understand where they're coming from.
I walked over and asked if she needed help and she said yes. I tried the know but it wouldn't turn any further, so I turned it back and realized she had inserted a penny instead of a quarter.
"You need a quarter, not a penny," I said as I struggled to get it out.
"I'll get it, my fingers are smaller," she replied, deftly working the penny back out of the machine. As she did this, I reached into my pocket to pull out a quarter and inserted it. She opened the door, watching for the gumball to drop.
"You should hold that closed so it doesn't roll away," I told her and she did. I turned the knob and the gumball fell down; the little girl opened the door and took it out. She looked up at me, smiled and said "Hey, thanks!"
I stood there with a big smile on my face. For a measely quarter, I was able to make some kid happy. However, then it hit me: these are the little kids that get kidnapped. The ones who are naive, who are trusting, who are cute and good natured. I just made her trust strangers more. I could be the reason this kid ends up in trouble. I wasn't so happy anymore.