News -----

My son is with his mom in NC for the summer.  He called last week with this dilemma...an abbreviated version of the conversation follows:

Brandon:  "Dad, tell my mom to let me pick the ticks off of me by myself."

Me:  "You have a bunch of them?"

Brandon: "Yes, and she wants to check me for more and pull them off."

Me:  "Ok.  She is your mother you know.  Where did you get the ticks?"

Brandon:  "Down in the woods by the dried up creek."

Me:  "Did you have fun?"

Brandon:  "Yes, we had a great time."

Me:  "You know if you wear bug spray, it will help keep the ticks off you in the first place."

Brandon:  "I know Daaaaddddd."

(Nice to see things never change)

Me:  "Well, I think that you should have no problem pulling them off yourself, but there are places you can't see and your mom is going to have to check those.  It is a good compromise and one I think you are going to have to submit to so start thinking about it."

Me:  "Ok, let me talk to your mom."

Me:  " I think he is old enough to pull the ticks himself.  He does it here with no problem.  I told him that there are places that he can't see/get to, and that he should let you check those places, as embarrassing as it may be.  It is a good compromise and you shouldn't have any problem with him submitting."

His Mom:  "Thank you"

The next night I called to see how it all went.

Brandon:  "Well we got the ticks off and my mom won't let me go in the woods anymore."

Me:  "Ok, did you let your mom check you for more ticks?"

(he responded MOSTLY jokingly...)
Brandon:  "Yes.  I told her that I hope she gets Alzheimer's and that memory is the first to go."


On another front, another long term relationship has come and gone, or maybe it has gone through a metamorphosis.  More on that soon.