Just Saying No

Last week, Chris and I went to parent-teacher conferences for Jacob and Benjy at their respective schools. Honestly, I wish that I could schedule parent-teacher conferences at least once a month. They're a real ego boost--for me. Apparently, my boys actually listen to their teachers and do what they tell them to, and they do it well. Now, I just have to figure out how to get them to do that at home.

When Chris and I were waiting to meet with Jacob's teacher, we amused ourselves by checking out all the artwork and papers hanging in the hallway outside the classroom. Of course, it didn't take us long to find Jacob's.

It seems that the assignment was to draw a picture of how each child was going to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Other kids had drawn pictures of stick figures eating vegetables, exercising and not smoking cigarettes. Jacob, however, had drawn this picture illustrating a classic case of peer pressure.


That's right, folks, stick figure Jacob (Stickob) will not be forced to drink coffee. The stick figure on the left is a really bad dude who's double-fisting two huge iced lattes. He is clearly trying to force his caffeine habit on poor, Stickob, but Stickob is not giving in. He's just saying "No," in big, bold, capital letters.

While, I applaud Jacob's enthusiasm, I hope he doesn't decide to give me a lecture next time I stop at Starbucks for an afternoon pick-me-up.