WHEN A DOLLAR STORE ISN’T REALLY A DOLLAR STORE

I went to Dollar Tree to pick up a few items for a training session.  I was in the toy aisle looking for some items and noticed a young boy (probably three or so) looking through the toys and their mother, who was standing close by.  I saw him pick up a toy and he said “mom, how much is this one”.  She said “that one is $10”.  Ten dollars?  Wait, we are in Dollar Tree.  I looked up to make sure I was in the right store and saw the sign – where everything is a dollar.  Ten dollars?
     
So I continued to stand there because now I was curious.  I saw the little boy pick up another toy and he said “mom, how much is this one”.  She said “that one is $20”.  Oh my goodness!  Twenty dollars!  As she said “twenty dollars” she looked at me and smiled.
 
I was SO intrigued I just stood there.  The mother came over to me and silently said “I saw the look on your face.  You have no idea what is going on here, do you?”.  I said “I am clueless”.  She said “you see, my son gets $5 to spend and he knows that is five items.  But, only if those five items are a dollar.”  I said “but everything is a dollar”.  She said “nope, that is where parenting comes in.      

You see, if the toy is messy, it is $20, so there is no way he can purchase that item.  If the toy is loud, it is $10, so again, he is unable to purchase that.  Sometimes, if I am sitting on a fence about a toy, it could be $5, but he knows that is the only one he gets so he usually puts it back.”  I said “that is incredible”.  
    
What did I learn from this entire experience?
I learned that sometimes, parents do not tell the truth, but that is okay.