"Mom, have you seen my hat?" Derrick asked as he fumbled around his room. Picking up a sombrero, Mom replied, "You mean this one
?" "No, Mom, my baseball cap." "Well, you should wear this hat. It will protect you from the Sun better." "Nah, I like my baseball cap more," Derrick answered. "I don't get it," Mom said. "You begged and pleaded for this sombrero when we were on vacation in Santa Fe. I tried to talk you out of it because I knew you'd never wear it. You promised that you would. I paid $30, and you haven't worn it once." "But, Mom . . ." "Don't 'But Mom' me, Mister. Here's the deal. You will earn the money to pay me back, or you will wear this sombrero out somewhere at least once within the next week. You've got to think about the effects of wasting money. If I have buyer's remorse over that hat, you should too. You need to fully consider whether or not you'll use what you ask for. Which choice will it be?" "Raising $30 will take forever," Derrick said and sighed. "Okay, I'll wear the hat, Mom, but I'll look silly compared to everyone else. None of the other kids wear sombreros." As the days passed, Derrick wasn't sure where he could wear his hat without looking out of place. School was out of the question. Baseball practice was out, too. Derrick didn't even want to consider wearing it to church. At the end of the week, Mom asked Derrick, "You want to grab some Mexican food from Amigos?" Derrick bolted to his room and grabbed his sombrero. When he returned, Mom added, "You'll probably still be the only one in a sombrero." "I know, but Amigos is still the best possible place to wear it," said Derrick. "Thanks, Mom." theme
