The pitchmen are winning

Mark's always been susceptible to advertising, especially on T.V. When he was little, I'd find him watching cartoons with a pad of paper next to him, where he'd scrawled toll-free numbers and the names of wonder products we simply must have. I spent a good deal of his fifth year explaining that we did not need water globes or clay-like plastic you could mold into shapes. He was crushed every time, but not dissuaded. The next Saturday morning, he'd have a whole new list to run by me.

Now he's more into the radio than T.V., but he's just as highly attuned to the ads. The other day, he tracked me down and excitedly explained that he'd just heard the most amazing commercial. 

"It's for a new cell phone," he gushed. "It's only $50 a month, with FREE unlimited minutes and texting."

"You already have a phone," I reminded him. He snorted. He's got a cheapy pay-by-the-minute phone that doesn't even have Internet access. (The shame!!)

"Yeah, but this phone is better," he scolded me. "Free unlimited minutes and texting! Didn't you hear that part? FREE!"

I shook my head, and sighed. I reminded him of the first thing he said--the $50 a month part. He just looked at me blankly.

"So...can I get it?" he finally asked.

"Sure," I said. "As long as you pay for it."

And suddenly, it all came together. I actually saw the light go on in his head.

"I don't have $50 a month!" he shouted.

"Me neither," I answered.

"Guess my other phone's good enough," he said, glumly.

"Guess so," I agreed.

And then, just like that, we were all on the same page again. Can't blame him for trying, though...