James Lileks recounts an episode all parents (and former kids) will recognize:
Gnat woke me this morning with the news that she had strep throat. She didn’t, but she had that hoarse cough that sounds bad. Then again, kids are good at faking the severity of a cough, if it means they can buy a day on the sofa reading comic books. Still, she seemed rather inert, so I called the school and said she’d be out. To gauge her seriousness, I said there’d be no TV – if you’re sick, take a nap. Such a rule is bent eventually, but if the kid says “okay” and slumps off to the sofa with a blanket and a book, then they’re probably not faking it. An hour later she asked if she could use her computer to make a wish-list; sure. An hour after that she was in her room, listening to music, and I wandered by. She was jumping on her bed. Jig state = up.
Feeling better?
Uh – well . . . and she tried to cough.
Okay, you’re going to school.
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