I was holding Ephraim a few weeks ago, and he was talking about wanting to be a zookeeper when he grows up. He was twirling my hair with his fingers; and he paused and asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up, Mommy?"

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I was a little startled. The first thing I thought was, That's a really good question now that Ephraim is going to Kindergarten and school counseling is no longer a critical need... consequently the jobs in my field are few and far between...

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However, I knew Ephraim didn't want to hear all of that. Instead, I though a moment and then replied, "I think I want to be a Grandma when I grow up."

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Ephraim was horrified. "Mommy!" he exclaimed, "You can't be a grandma when you grow up!"

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Why not?" I asked.

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"Because grandmas are old, and I don't want you to be old!"

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Matthew and I laughed about this later, and I told Matthew getting old was better than the alternative (people who never grow old avoid doing so by dying young... not that I fear death, but I would like to see my grandchildren!)

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However, there was no convincing Ephraim. We just had a Scarlet O'Hara moment and I said, "Let's worry about that another day!"

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