Incomplete Authority Network

My 8 year old son, Cole, and his friend Ian were inventing acronyms for their names. Cole thought of this one for Ian: Incomplete Authority Network. It's brilliant. Understated yet full of potential meaning. I actually feel like I could work at the I.A. Network. As a personal assistant to the undersecretary of committee relations. Hoping to one day make it all the way up to Midlevel Vice President in charge of policy review.

Ian thought of this one for Cole: Commenting On-Line Legacy Entries. He nailed it. In fact, I think I may have gotten an error message last week with this very phrase. I thought maybe it had something to do with blog comments? I didn't know what it meant so I just hit the "accept" button. That's pretty much how I deal with pop-ups and error messages and stuff.


Here's something else: Have you ever had a conversation like this with an 8 year old?

Setting - Cole's bedroom.

Me: Cole, where is your chair?
Cole: What chair?
Me: Your desk chair. The only chair normally in your room. It's not here. Where is it?
Cole: Oh. Huh. I dunno.
Me: You didn't notice it was gone?
Cole: No
Me: You have no idea what happened to your chair?
Cole: Nope
Me: You didn't TAKE your chair anywhere? Out of your room?
Cole: No...I don't think so.
Me: You don't THINK so?
Cole: Well, I don't think I did.
Me: But you might have? You might have picked up that chair and carried it somewhere and then forgot about it?
Cole: Maybe


It was in the hall bathroom. I didn't ask why. And I think there is a 50/50 chance he really didn't remember moving the chair. After all, he has gotten in the car in the morning with one shoe on but forgot to put on the other shoe. These things happen. Especially when you are thinking really hard about legos.