"Oh, no, we're not buying that," we admonish our children. "We can't afford a new gadget every time you get an impulse. If you want that iPhone, save your money."

We lecture our kids endlessly about the fundamentals of responsible living. Don't spend what you don't have. Don't take what does not belong to you. If you want something, stop wasting your allowance on excess and save your money for the cool stuff you can't live without.

Our greatest fear as parents is the day that arrives when the kids are old enough to realize they've been raised by hypocrites.

I am reminded of this upon reading that the District 181 Board of Education is publicly debating the ethics of "re-capturing" more than $1.5 million in revenue from Cook County taxpayers that has been dormant in a bureaucratic black hole since ... get this ... 2002! The very fact that our Board uses the word "re-capture" is, at best, unsettling. It sounds like something out of the Harry Reid-Nancy Pelosi playbook.

By forcing the debate, Board President Mark Monyek is demonstrating a quality rarely seen among elected public servants -- leadership. He is to be congratulated, as it takes courage to request a measured approach to grabbing taxpayers' money. Typically, a board's lust for funds is so overwhelming (see District 86) that a bungled referendum tax hike going back seven years is a no-brainer. The conventional wisdom is rooted in teen-aged logic: If there are funds to re-capture, for God's sakes, re-capture them. Every dime. Quick, before anyone notices.

My hope is that District 181 Board members will not leave themselves vulnerable to cries of hypocrisy from their kids. This is a precarious time for the American economy at the individual level. This is not a time to hoard tax revenues. This is a time to be responsible, to own up to the reality that the ball was dropped on an intended 2002 tax increase. This is a time to focus on a tax rebate. Imagine that?

This is a time to do the right thing: To cut spending across the board in District 181, no matter how painful some special interests might say that would be. Do some serious belt tightening and show the voters what you're made of. Then, in the future, when you need to raise cash through a referendum, we just might give the green light.

We tell our kids that we say "no" because we have their best interests at heart and because we love them. When it comes to our community and our public schools, this is a time for tough love.