Alan Greenspan says, "I dunno."

"Hey, Alan Greenspan, what happened to the economy? I dunno," chirps my 5 year old, with a wink and a very authentic looking Alan Greenspan shrug.

Such is the economic discourse in our kitchen most mornings. We listen to the morning news while getting ready for our day. The economic news is frightening, but when I heard Alan Greenspan's response to legitimate questions about the results of his economic care and direction, we had to laugh. It also reminded me of a recent conversation I had with my kid.

"Why did you throw balls of wet Kleenex at Mommy's neck while I was driving? Have you lost your mind?"

"I dunno."

I have to say I believed it. There are times in one's life when, upon reflection, the only possible response is - well, it seemed like the thing to do at the time. This line of thinking sums up virtually every decision I made during my first two years of college.

Maybe why did this happen isn't the question. I rephrased, "Was there any part of you that thought that throwing balls of wet Kleenex at Mommy's neck while she was driving on 35W South in rush hour was a bad idea?"

"Yeah."

"So, you had a small feeling that maybe throwing wet Kleenex's at Mommy while she was driving was a bad idea?"

"Yeah."

"Then that is why there will be consequences. When a very small voice tells us that maybe what we're about to do isn't a good idea, we must listen to it. When we go against what that still, small voice is telling us, we suffer. We could have driven right into the ditch, but we didn't. We were lucky this time. Obviously, you need some regulation to make sure that you practice listening to that small voice within you."

The regulatory action taken was to remove the Kleenex box out from the back seat. If the kid needs a tissue, I'll distribute accordingly. Water is now served in bottles only, no cups. The kid's needs are met, but in a way that does not threaten the safety of all the passengers in the car.

Perhaps I will loosen these restrictions when I see evidence that the kiddo is listening to that small voice.

Over the last couple of months I have wondered if anybody associated with this financial crisis had even some teeny, tiny inkling that maybe what they were doing was not a good idea. I suspect the answer, if folks are like me, is no. Success happens, it's exciting and you want more. Things get moving really fast, you get tired, lose perspective. It's there, but you're so busy and so out of practice in listening to the voice that you really don't hear it. Eventually, there will be a crash. When the crash happens, it doesn't just affect us, it touches everyone around us.

Some regulation is necessary. When a kid steps out of line, parents provide structure to give them a chance to listen to the voice within. If the voice is telling us, this seems like a bad idea, it probably is.

I can tell you that I haven't been pelted with wet Kleenex since.