Before, I try to recall what else she's asked me about. Snapping at her when she wants to share my dessert was one. And something to do with the dishwasher. When I get home that night there they are, a mound of Cheerios by the kitchen doorway, with a further scattering under the shopping cart and under the highchair. I put Alex in his crib and sweep them up.
Many Cheerios bounce out of the dustpan and have to corralled again.
I show Jill this essay. Jill says she's sorry she was angry, and that her sister says all men sneak away right after getting married and have themselves lobotomized. Maybe it was cool. It was no more related to the teamwork of raising a child, however, than somebody leaving the cereal box within Alex's reach in the first place. Cool Idea Heat is here again.