Ah, the joys of parenting: A conversation with my eighth grader:
A: Mom, some people in math class were mad at me today. They say I think I'm always right.
Me: What happened?
A: Well, today was bad because I told them they were wrong. And they didn't like that.
Me: So, first of all, who was right?
A: That's the bad part. Actually, they were.
Me: Hmm. What did you learn?
A: I'm not always right.
Me: Of course. I think you already knew that. What else?
A: Keep my mouth shut.
(That's always the hard one isn't it?)
At this point I gave him a hug, imagining the glee his peers demonstrated at catching his mistake, and thinking he's really feeling bad about all this.
He said, "You know, Mom, I was just thinking when you were hugging me just now, that's the exact same place on the body that a boa constrictor squeezes until it crushes its prey to death."
Me: Are you trying to tell me something?
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