Except for my husband and my daughter, Katie, everyone has a different birth month. It’s great. I love spreading the celebratory cheer throughout the year. But, naturally, this inspires some of my children to think ahead to their own birthdays and ask for things that they would like. My usual response is always a request that we discuss the matter in the appropriate month for them. It’s a habitual question asked without thinking.

On the way to church today, Jenny was asking for some product she had seen advertised on TV that she isn’t likely to get. Out came my knee-jerk retort:

“How about we talk about this in Septem—, oh. Arrrrgh!”