lesson 7: sometimes it's good to be bad

"Did you get into trouble a lot as a kid?"

"No, not a lot. 'A lot' is all relative anyways isn't it?"

"How did you get punished?"

"Other than spankings? I got sent to my room, which I didn't mind at all, or I had to write stuff."

"So that fact that you are still writing is sort of a form of masochism... a replay of childhood punishment."

"You're sick."

"What did you write?"

"My mom gave me lists of words I had to look up and then put into a story. I think I was the only seven year old who knew how to use the words 'peruse' and 'jocund'. She was worried that since English wasn't her first language that we would grow up to some disadvantage. I think she was wonderful to introduce us to so many new words and to prioritize our literacy so highly."

"So you owed your extensive childhood vocabulary to be being bad."

"Uh. I guess so."

"Interesting."

"If you say so."

"It explains why you make up and misuse words so often. It's a form of adult rebellion."

She scowls at me and leaves the room.

...thanks mom...