A Man With A Plan

     When Enzo was five he told me, "I hope my wife likes my bedroom".

     "Why?"

     "I want her to be happy when she moves in here".

     When Enzo was six he told me he was never ever ever ever moving out.  I told him he will be welcome to stay at home but when he is a grown up he will have to help out around the house.  Enzo said that was a  horrible idea.  He hated house work.  Fearing that if I gave my six year old an inch he would take a mile when he was thirty, I decided to lay firm ground rules that very afternoon.  "Enzo, you"ll either have to help out  around the inside of the house or you"ll have to get a job and help Daddy pay for things".

     Enzo thought about this for a while before saying, "I don't deal", (he used to say that a lot when he didn't agree with what we were putting out there).  "Working is hard.  I can't do it."

     Clara, who was four then, chimed in with,"There are easy jobs out there, Enzo.  You could work at Wal Mart.  Those jobs look easy".

     "Hmmm.  I don't know," Enzo grumbled.  "I guess, but I don't want to be the guy who takes the money.  That's a lot of responsibility.  I'll only do it if I can be the guy who wears the blue vest and walks around the aisles doing nothing".

     The years passed and Enzo tried to devise ways to be paid to play video games to contribute to the household.  Then, just a few nights ago Enzo said, "This may come as a surprise to some of you, but when I grow up I'd like to live in a big city".  His reasons were that it is boring here because there is nothing to look at and also in cities there are restaurants everywhere.  I can't blame the kid.  The most exciting thing that happened to me today was the glimmering shower of clear gel pellets that rained down upon the laundry room after I unknowingly washed a disposable diaper with my bed sheets then shook them out before I realized what  I had done.

     Tonight Enzo asked if California is on the other side of the country.  He also asked if Hollywood is in California.  After receiving two answers in the positive he said, "Well, don't expect to see much of me around  here when I grow up!  I'm moving to Hollywood, California!"

     I'm always interested in what passions are brewing inside of my children so I asked, "What are you going to do there?"

     "Be rich", was my boy's immediate reply.

     Why didn't I think of that?