Must Be Nice

For my son's belated eighth birthday present, we took the family to Universal Studios. Four day passes cost $600. Four Express passes cost $1,120. Express lets you skip the line once on every ride.

I've never really upgraded. I wait in line. I wasn't planning to start.

But that morning I snuck into the bathroom of our hotel room, away from the stuffed animals flying past my face. I went back and forth in my head for five minutes. In thirty years, what will matter is whether we spent the day together moving through the park, or spent it in the sun, in a long line, two boys and two parents trying not to kill each other. Like the Simpsons.

That isn't what put me over. What put me over was that I was going to write about it. Worth $520 for a good Money is Weird article, I told myself. A few minutes after I came out of the bathroom, I leaned over my wife, who was lying on the bed, and whispered in her ear. She nodded.

I write about money. I'm supposed to know how to talk to my kids about money.

In the parking lot, we told them.

"Hey guys. We don't normally do this. Mom and I paid extra so we can skip the line once on every ride."

I saw them both light up. They said thank you and they meant it.

By the second ride the boys had forgotten our speech. Walking past the line was just how you do Universal when you're eight and ten and think you're pretty cool.

Halfway through the day we got to the Simpsons ride. The regular line folded back on itself in the heat. We walked right past it into the shade.

Yeah, I thought. We're ballin. We don't wait.

Then, as we passed more people, a teenage girl in the line looked at us. I knew the look. I've always been in that line. Must be nice.

I've thought it about kids sitting courtside at NBA games who have no idea the seat is anything but normal. Now I was the one walking past.

I didn't like it. For a second I wanted to give her a nod and bring her with us so she didn't have to wait either. Then I kept walking. I didn't have time.

They still fought over who got to sit in the seat at lunch that had the view of the Simpsons, but I barely thought about money all day. I almost never get a day like that.

I don't know why. Maybe it was the upgrade. Maybe it was the birthday, or the boys having a blast, or that the decision was already made before we walked in. I want to give the credit to the extra $520. That's what you do after a good day. You go looking for the receipt. Something to point to next time.

On the way out, I ran back to the store.

I have a rule. No more t-shirts on vacation. I bought one with the whole Simpsons family on it. "Best Vacation Ever! Universal Studios."

It felt right.

Money is weird.