Need vs. Want

On Saturday, we had some things to get at the feed store, so we stopped at some yard sales in town. The kids love to go to yard sales, especially Eliza - she gets so excited! On the way back home, we stopped at one more sale, and this one was a BIG one! Our local thrift store had cleaned out their warehouse and was having a huge sale. It was about noon, and it was getting hot, especially on the pavement where everything was set up. The kids were looking for toys of course and they spotted a toy barn. This barn was fairly aged and not nearly as nice as the one Eric already has and plays with every day. However, Eric instantly decided he NEEDED this barn. As I was glad that he saw the "diamond in the rough" and doesn't expect his toys to come in shiny packages or off the shelf at the store, but there was no way I was bringing this worn-out barn home. He insisted he NEEDED this barn for his dry cows because it had a fence, and on and on. When the fussing got to the point I couldn't take it anymore, I pulled him aside and said, "You need to stop fussing" and "Besides," I added, "You do not NEED that barn, you WANT that barn." The fussing stopped and Eric clomped along behind me silently. As I walked on in relief, Eric let out out a fussy statement - "I WANT that barn!" I almost burst out laughing as I heard him change his "need" to "want"! Maybe we did take a baby step in learning the difference between need and want, and most importantly, we escaped that yard sale without bringing the barn home! Ironically, Eric hasn't mentioned it since. . . . .