Teaching children a lucrative trade
I may have contributed to the delinquency of a minor. Not just any minor, but two of my own sons. I recently read the folktale “Stone Soup” to the older kids. Let’s be frank: this story is an effective way to teach youngsters the Spanish prisoner confidence trick. Now, it’s no secret that I happen to enjoy movies about con artists and their ways, but I plan to keep the lid on that stuff until the kids aren’t as susceptible to becoming career criminals.
One “Stone Soup” reader at Amazon.com had this to say about another popular retelling of the same story.
It’s funny how a single story changes with the telling. […] Villagers are tricked out of their greed and fear into sharing […] with their neighbors. And it’s all thanks to a soup that doesn’t even exist.
Wait a minute. How did we get on the topic of Social Security? 
I love Mamet’s Spanish Prisoner and his House of Games. At least your boys are well on their way to having employable skills.