Friends are addictive

Mark started off a story involving a friend of his. This particular friend is one who Mark has a love-hate relationship with, and tends to get into a lot of trouble with.

"...and then he said--" Mark started.

I immediately interupted him. "I thought you said you weren't gonna play with that kid anymore."

"I'm not," Mark said, then clarified, "Not as much."

Nothing brings discomfort like a mom's steely glare, so he elaborated.

"He's like a cigarette," Mark told me. "You don't just quit them automatically. It takes time."

I bit my tongue so hard it almost drew blood. I wasn't sure when my 10-year-old son became an addiction specialist or quit a cigarette habit I didn't know about, but this was gonna be good.

"Like a cigarette, huh?" I asked.

"Yeah," Mark said. "See, you don't just give them up all at once. You have to do it slooooowly. A little bit at a time. So I'm still playing with him at school, just a lot less."

I coughed into my hand, and hoped it didn't sound like a stifled giggle.

"Well, of course, that makes a lot of sense," I replied. "You're thinking about this very maturely."

"Yup," he answered, very pleased. And then, he skipped off to ride his scooter and pretend he was flying through space on it. (I guess he's not all that mature.)

And I was left to stand there and worry about what the next vice -- I mean, lesson -- would teach him.