I know I'm not supposed to but for the first time ever I gave money to someone asking for it on the train today. And it's making me really uncomfortable. I don't regret it. I just can't explain why I feel so uneasy about it.

I was on my way to the office and the woman walked in the subway car with her daughter and said she was stranded from North Carolina and needed help.  She didn't ask for money actually.  She asked for food or anything we could spare.   And then she asked in Spanish.

I saw her daughter. About the same age as Luke and I immediately went into my bag to give her money.  The woman sitting next to me gave the mom a yogurt from her bag and the mom gave it to her daughter and told her she couldn't eat it until she got her a spoon. (I actually started looking in my bag like it was Let's Make a Deal and I could possibly.. wishful thinking.. have a spoon to give them.)

I'm not pregnant. Not sure why that mother and child really got to me but it has.  I think all little girls and boys should feel like the prince and princess they are.  Not have to worry about food or shelter.  I just thought to myself.. what if I was in that situation and needed help, I'd really want someone to help me. I'd really want someone to believe me... to believe whatever they gave me really was for food or shelter.

Of course, I bring that up because everyone I talked to told me their theory of how there is a racket in Manhattan where they go around asking for money (besides the basketball team uniform fundraisers) and they take kids with them that aren't their own and get money to use for drugs.   And I was called naive.

I just prefer to believe this time I really was helping someone in need and not financing some horrible habit.

(P.S.: Yes, I've given money to street performers and have donated money to charity but I just never gave to anyone asking for it on the subway.  And Yes, I take the subway also.  Sometimes cabs aren't the way to go.)