Who's the Boss?

Last night, Sarabeth and Christopher sat outside with the next-door neighbor children, waiting for their soldier daddy to return from his year away in Afghanistan. At one point during the waiting, I was sitting inside at my kitchen table working on the checkbook (not nearly time for him to arrive yet) when Christopher raced inside, ran past me, thundered up the steps, thundered back down, and ran past me carrying a stack of nice blankets from his bedroom.

Mommy: Whoa, whoa, whoa! Those don't go outside! Put them down, bud! .... Okay, you can take the brown one... only one.

Christopher (putting most of the blankets down):  I want the red one.

Mommy (deciding the red one was more patriotic):  Okay, you can take the red one.... (as Christopher races past without slowing down).

Mommy (calling out to Christopher's back): Did it ever occur to you to ask permission for anything??

Christopher (matter-of-factly, just before the door slammed shut behind him):  No....


Hmmm... just as I thought.