I had an entry written up at work, and then forgot to email it to myself when I left. So you'll simply have to settle for this little story instead.

This past Sunday when my older sis and hubby were at church with my nearly 3 1/2 year old nephew, they had the children's time at the front, and they did a little Simon Says game. Simon Says, for those of you who didn't grow up with this game, is when the leader tells the rest of the group to do things (like hop on one foot, or put your hand on your head), but the rest of the group isn't to do it unless the leader prefaces the command with "Simon Says."

They used the game to lead into a very simple discussion on manners, pointing out that in the game, Simon never says "please", and maybe it would be better if he did.

Much to everyone's surprise, my nephew did not agree with this and began to argue with the pastor on the subject (much to the amusement of the rest of the congregation). He wasn't being naughty - he was being very serious. It took a few back-and-forth comments of him insisting that he couldn't see why Simon had any need to say "please" at all, before he finally mentioned the one thing that cleared it all up.

It seems that, as this was the first time he'd played this game, he was still a little confused. This was only made worse by the fact that the only Simon he knows is their little shorthaired tuxedo kitty. And even at 3/12 years of age, he's already learned that cats *never* have to say "please."

Sniff. I'm so proud of him.