If Your Child Found $50 On the Ground...

[va32h]

Would you let him/her keep it?

This past weekend, dd9 had a figure skating competition (she won, by the way, proud mommy moment!).

While we were waiting for the results to be posted, she found a fifty dollar bill on the ground. Dh was with her at the time, I was taking dd2 to the bathroom for a diaper change.

According to dh, they asked everyone in the immediate area if they had dropped the cash, and everyone said no. So he let dd keep the money. When I found out, I got very upset and said that dd should have taken it to the desk clerk and turned it in.

We discussed it quietly for several minutes, but since we were in a public place, and I didn't feel right arguing about it in front of dd, I dropped the subject, and she still has the money.

But I still feel that we did the wrong thing. It is too late to turn the money in now, but I wonder if I should insist that dd give it to a charity or otherwise spend in altruistically. What would you have done?

 

[lulugirl]

Since they asked everyone in the immediate area if it belonged to them, I don't think it was terrible that Dh let her keep it.
I think donating the $ to a charity of her choice is a good idea.

 

[Blueeyes101817]

i do not have kids, but i remember when i found a 100.00 dollar bill at a baseball game--my brother claimed to see it at the same time, so we split it..my mom was there and said theres no way to know whose it was...so joe and i each took 50 and went shopping

 

[palmtreegirl]

I'd let her keep it.

 

[EthansMom]

If it had been money in a wallet or a credit card, it should have been turned in. But cash alone is unlikely to actually make it to anyone who truly lost it -- less likely that the person will realize where he/she lost it and more likely that someone at the location where it is turned in will pocket it. So, as long as everyone in the direct area was asked if they had lost anything, I would say, "keep the cash".

 

[golfgal]

I would have told the desk clerk that we found some money, not telling him/her how much and to let us know if anyone came looking for the money. You could then verify with the possible owner the amount. If no one came looking for the money, I would have let her keep the money but it would have gone into the bank.

On the flip side, if I lost money at something like this I would probably write it off to lost money knowing that most people won't return cash.

 

[doxdogy]

I probably would have told the clerk we found it and if anyone came asking for it, to call us.

 

[goodeats]

This happened to me when I was little. I found $50 on the ground at Payless, and my Mom made me take it up front and ask the clerk if anybody lost any money. This guy who was in line said it was his. I still wonder if it was his to this day. But then again, maybe it was. I'm glad he got his money back if that was the case.

In a situation like at an ice rink I don't know what you expected the rink to do. I mean odds are the 16 year old at the desk would have just pocketed the money. It's not like a bracelet with identifying marks.

I don't think cash should be turned in all places. Maybe an announcement could me made in a smaller venue, but in most cases it's finder's keepers.

 

[Microbio]

let her keep it!

 

[ziggystardust]

I found $100 bill on the floor once, in the store where I worked. Since I worked there, there was a little more involved. I kept in for over a week, to see if anyone would come in and ask for it. I notified the manager who asked me why I would even tell her (she would have kept it in a second).

My dad brought up the moral dilemma of some one working really hard for that money and then losing it in an instant. I didn't spend it for a while and when I did I took my family out to dinner.

I really like the idea of choosing a charity and donating it. I wish I thought of that but I was a stupid 19 yr old. Trying to make up for it now though!

 

[SDFgirl]

This happened to me at a Disney restaurant. I found a 50 dollar bill on the ground. What I did was, I went and told the manager that I found some money on the ground. I didn't say how much. I left my phone number with him and said that if anyone could tell me how much they lost, I'd return it.

Nobody ever called, so I spent the money after 3 or 4 days.

Ironically, the very next day at MGM I found $26 on the ground! I've never been that lucky since!!

 

[anewvance]

I was in Target one day shopping. On the floor was a stack of bills folded up. There was a $20, four $10's three $5's and three $1's. So $78 total. I thought I was doing the right thing by turning it in at guest services, keep in mind we were in a bad part of town. The lady took it and I am pretty positive she had a good time with it. :-(

I'd let her keep the money and do with it as she wishes.. really no way of finding out who the money belonged to. In a wallet is a whole other story.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I agree to call the place, tell them your DD found money, but not tell them how much. Ask if anyone came to them who had lost money. If not, it's hers, and there is no way I'd have her donate the money. Maybe donate a percentage of it, say 10% or so, but no more than that unless it's her idea.

 

[momof2inPA]

That's funny. I lost $50 at the ice rink, the other day.

J/K, let her keep it. It's karma. She will lose $50 at some point in her life. The guy who lost the $50 will find someone else's money or find out he got a bargain at a yard sale, when he visits Antiques Roadshow.

 

[daisyduck123]

I would let her keep it.

 

[WDWAurora]

My parents turned in the $100 bill that I found in a steak house parking lot when I was TINY...5 maybe? They still talk about how they regret doing that. They wish they had done the "Call us if someone says they lost it and can tell us how much" deal because they said they watched the girl stick it in her pocket.

 

[mommaU4]

50 bucks? Heck no I wouldn't let her keep it.


I'd keep it for myself. J/k

Let her keep it and put it in a savings of some sort for a new skating outfit or whatever she's saving for.

 

[aprilgail2]

I would let her keep it...odds are if you turned it in then someone at the place would have just kept it for themselves.

 

[Marseeya]

I'm with the keep it club. I'm normally the first person to give back found money, but when it's just cash lying on the ground like that, you can't possibly know who it belongs to. I like that your DH went around asking people nearby.

 

[eeyoreiscool]

I would have kept it and told someone to contact me if they lost anything. For smaller amounts, I probably wouldn't have said anything.