The Boy leaves a message on my office phone:

“Good morning, Uncle Doyce, I’m up. Jake stinks, I’m gonna give him a bath, since I have to take a shower anyway. I’ll let you know how it goes.”

My basement is going to look like Waterworld. .::. I’ve been pondering what to do with Justin during his next school break. We weren’t really prepared for this one, so there really wasn’t much going on for him but doing homework and hanging out with the dog. (Luckily, he owed me 20 bucks, so I could assign him household chores with a clear conscience for the first two weeks.) The break’s almost over now (school starts back up on Monday), and I mentioned to him that next time, we might sign up with the Day Care/Activities program at the local Rec Center, so he’s not so bored. “No!” says he, “I’m fine! I’m needed here.”
“Why’s that?”
“Jake needs a lot of attention.”
“Jake can stay in his kennel, like he does when you’re at school.”
“Well, can I take Jake to the Rec Center?”
“Probably not.”
“That would suck. Don’t do it.”
Two years ago, the problem was that he didn’t communicate his needs. Apparently that milestone has been passed.