It always amuses me when my kids voice an opinion on a song from the back of the minivan, or the other side of the kitchen island.  Sometimes I’m surprised at what they like, and sometimes I’m disappointed that my favorites aren’t theirs too.  Either way, I’m glad they are listening, and 20 years from now, hopefully they will have songs that will bring back vivid memories for them, the way music does for me.

My son is quite possibly the funniest kid I know, which is not surprising, considering that his dad is the funniest grown-up I know.   He comes out with zingers that make me laugh, scratch my head, and wonder how he comes up with this stuff.  And then I forget to write it all down.

This morning.  Breakfast table in an otherwise not-empty room (yes, PJ reference)…….As his sister thumbed through a catalog, he queried, deadpan-serious:  “Do they make American Girl Doll weaponry?”

His sister and I laughed, but — is this the untapped marketing angle that would make American Girl Dolls appeal to boys?  Before we had much time to discuss the details of combat gear for Kit, however, we were heading out the door.  My daughter, not to be outdone in the clever comment category:  “I’m wearing this hoodie today, it makes me feel like I live in Hollywood”.  Apparently that makes for a good day when one is in second grade.

Yesterday in the van, my son had taken aim at the Pixies, declaring, “this song is creepy” when “Where Is My Mind?” happened to come on.  (He attributed it to the “woo hoo’s” at the beginning.  Fair enough.)  He and I go out for coffee together twice a week, just the two of us.  It’s a tradition that started two years ago, when we were trying to figure out what to do with the extra half hour in the morning while his sister is at choir.  We drop her off at school, then hit a coffee house — latte for me, hot cocoa and a baked good for him.  Topics of conversation include baseball, dogs, vacations, and, most recently, lessons (for me) in the game of Magic: The Gathering.  We once sat and played a game, which earned me a ‘Way to Go, Mom’ thumbs-up from the bearded 20-something barista.

This morning we walked in to the coffee house – a different one than usual – and you can guess what song was playing…..  “Where Is My Mind?”.  Now that is creepy.  “Hey, Sweetie — it’s your song!”  I said, and he pretended to grimace.

You know how, as a parent, you experience fleeting moments that make you feel like you are doing something right?  (The ones that balance out all of the times when you are sure you are screwing your kids up for life?)  This morning was one of those moments.   My sweet fourth grade boy was stressing out over a school project.  We talked through it and came up with a plan.  Then he took a sip of cocoa, cocked his head to one side, looked at me and said, “Mom, I always feel better when I talk to you about stuff.”   True to form, I welled up with tears, but managed to tell him – hey, that’s what Moms are for.   I’ve often joked with him that he and I share the same brain, and it’s true.  We are wired the same.  I like to think that this will give me an edge in helping him navigate the teenage years…..we’ve agreed to keep our morning coffee dates going, and I really hope we do.

He wanted to stay home with me today.  The real reason is that he is in the middle of a big baseball card sorting project, and he is, in his words — “making great progress”.  He wanted to hunker down in his room and keep going, with a Harry Potter book on tape in the background.  I know this because we share the same brain, and days like that appeal to me too.   He tried to tell me, however, that if I let him stay home, he would  help me with stuff around the house:

“Mom!  If you let me stay home today, I’ll be your house elf”.

I kissed him and ushered him out of the van.  But if I really thought that he would do chores for me all day, I’d probably let him stay home.