summa cum laude

recently i was given the highest compliment a child can give a parent. not long ago, a friend was over playing after school. we'd made christmas cookies, eaten some along with a carrot or two to balance it out, done a variety of other activities including destroying the library with the most elaborate fort made of blankets, the pillows from every room, tinker toys and dried string cheese from under the sofa.

wanting to move on to something else, all the boys made some unmemorable request. it wasn't outlandish, illegal or messy, didn't involve fire or removing the hamster's fur to fashion a gi joe pelt. it was so benign i honestly cannot recall what it was. i just didn't want to deal with what they were wanting to do at the time. so i said, "no." the guest kept on and jeremiah interrupted him saying, "my mom said it. it's final. no use wasting your breath." this coming from a kid who does not mind one bit wasting his breath if he thinks he can get a cm to steal that k.

i gave myself an invisible and silent high 10, hands and feet. i may be getting this thing down.