A huge ethics debate erupted over a restaurant meal with my kids this afternoon.

When I audited the bill, as I always do, I noticed that the waiter omitted to charge us for one of our meals.

When I told my kids I was going to tell our waiter to fix the error, they unanimously objected to my intentions. I was shocked. What kind of kids have I raised? I agonisingly mulled over this.

I immediately saw an opportunity to have an ethics conversation with them so I asked them why they thought I shouldn’t alert the waiter of the error.

I have to say nothing prepared me for what was to come. First, they say it’s your lucky day; then maybe God just wants to bless you. They even suggested Jesus never returned the coin he sent Peter to take from the fish’s mouth or the donkey he “borrowed” without the consent from the owner. At this stage, I was plainly flabbergasted.

I further asked them what had happened to simple honesty.

“Look, dad,” one of them tells me in an authoritative tone, “the world is not fair so quit living as if it is. When life gives you a break, you must seize it!”

By this time, our waiter had arrived, and I decided to inform him of the error anyway, to the chagrin of my kids.

A comprehensive ethics conversation beckons for my household!