begging?

Dennis approached me a bit ago with an empty grocery bag slung over his shoulder. "This is my money bag," he informed me, "and I'm collecting money." I asked him why he was collecting and he told me that it's "to buy a Millenium Falcon." I gave him a dollar for his creativity. He used the dollar to play a form of shell game with his dad (using an array of empty drink bottle tops) that he called the "hide the money in the barrel game."

I took him to work with me today. He dropped one of his action figures down the hole in my desk that's meant for cords. After the second such "expedition" (it took serious effort to excavate the little dude from behind the bottom desk drawer) I told Dennis not to put him down the hole again. "But he's exploring a cavern, Mom," he told me. I firmly told him not to do it again when I noticed the start of Cry Face coming on. I further explained that "you can't go exploring in a deep hole without a rope!". He seemed satisfied. As I answered my phone, he ran out of the room. I presumed it was a potty break so I was surprised when he returned moments later with a length of yarn. He told me that he'd gotten it from Ms. Lynn in the church office--he said he explained to her that his man needed a rope to drop down into the hole. When I called to thank her later, she reminded me that she has raised a boy herself! Now I need to teach Dennis that repellers tie the rope at the top of the hole (because he dropped the man AND rope a few times).