Probably like many others here, it's a pastime of mine to daydream about the minutia and details associated with winning, and not just the vision of the awesome things I'd do with an eight- or nine-figure influx of cash.

With that in mind, I've been wondering what, how and when I should tell my elementary/middle school aged kids when we win. Additionally, I'm gaming out in my head how we'd obscure the extent of our newfound wealth as a family so as not to alienate our kids' friends or attract the wrong kind of attention for them.

My initial instinct is that I would not tell them we're won the lottery, and come up with a simple and realistic of an explanation why I no longer have to work. I also consider what changes in spending patterns would too readily telegraph a sudden change in fortune to their friends and the friends' parents (e.g. I would more likely decide to renovate our house rather than buy a new mansion, and buying a new car, we'd opt for splurging on the comfort upgrades to a middle of the road model rather than buying a luxury car).

Alternatively, we'd pull up stakes and start a new life where people only know us as a family with a million dollar annual budget. But I'd rather go with the first option.

How would you handle the immediate family dynamic? Would you tell your kids? Is there anything you'd tell them to keep them from spilling the secret to their friends and classmates?