5

I put the deodorant on my dresser, but I tossed the book in the trash. I'd seen that one before. Mom must've gotten the same book for Rodrick when he was my age, and I found it in his junk drawer. And believe me, I do not need to see the pictures in that book a second time. And what's worse is that Mom made me the subject

of her parenting column in our local paper that week. She didn't use my actual name, but I don't think it would've taken a detective to figure out who she was talking about. Puberty can be a difficult time When a child begins to experience the changes that come with adolescence, the transformation can be uncomfortable, awkward, or even frightening. But given the right guidance, a child can learn to welcome, and even celebrate, the transition into adulthood. My second-born son recently began his wondrous journey into his new Sunday Tonight Mom called a "house meeting." And whenever she does that, it's never good. The last time we had a house meeting, it was so she could complain about the situation in the bathroom. She said she was tired of having to clean the floor around the toilet because of our "lousy aim."

I knew exactly what she was talking about, too. One time I actually missed the bus because I used the bathroom after Manny. All I can say is, I'm not the one causing the problem. When Rodrick uses the bathroom, half the time he doesn't even turn on the light. Mom said the new rule was that us boys were gonna have to sit down every time we used the bathroom, no matter what. But none of us guys liked THAT idea. Rodrick suggested we just buy a couple of urinals, since there are more of US than there are of HER. Plus,

that way, more than one person could go at the same time. But Mom said that would be "tacky," and she used her veto power to shut his idea down. I thought tonight's house meeting was gonna be a follow-up to the bathroom meeting, since nobody was following the sitting-down rule and things are worse than ever. But this meeting was about something completely different. Mom told us that she was going back to school and that she was gonna start taking classes a few times a week. Well, I was totally caught off guard by this news.

Mom's ALWAYS there when I get home from school, and that's the way I like it. But Mom said that after all these years of staying at home with us kids, she needs to do something that stimulates her mind. So she said she's gonna take classes for a semester and see how it goes. I guess I can understand why Mom would want to branch out, because if I did the kinds of things she does every day, I'd probably be going bananas, too.

Mom said us men are gonna have to make our own dinners a few nights a week and start doing chores that she usually takes care of herself. One of those chores is making lunches, and to be honest with you, I'm pretty happy that one is getting turned over to us. Mom writes a note on our lunch bags every day, and I can definitely live without THAT.