609 days ago - The other day my 6-year-old niece told her mother that she thought the family should buy a boat. Her mother tried to explain to her how much boats cost, that the family needed to spend money on other things, and an elemental conception of having finite resources. To a 6-year-old, however, none of that mattered. She wanted a boat, and she saw her parents as having limitless resources to provide any desire she wanted. If they didn’t buy a boat, it was because they selfishly wanted to keep her from enjoying it.