"I Bet Your Mom Can't Do That"

This week, BigBro is attending a Cub Scout fishing camp. Last night, he came home bursting with joy about the three fish he caught, but disappointed that his new rod wasn't working anymore. With promises to dig out the receipt and get a replacement today, I sent him off to a shower and bed.

This morning, I took the reel apart and examined it closer. I found a knotted tangle, and with some patience and experimentation, I was able to get the reel working once again. When I walked into the mudroom to keep it safe until camp, I saw BigBro's old rod abandoned in the corner. His Uncle had bought him that rod a few years ago, but it also had stopped working, and we'd never been able to figure out what was wrong. It wasn't an expensive rod, so it made more sense to replace it this summer

Armed with my new understanding of the internal workings of the reel, I decided I couldn't make it any worse. Fifteen minutes later, BigBro now has two working rods to take to camp tonight.

As I stored this rod next to the other in the mudroom, I overheard him telling his friend, "My mom fixed two fishing rods today. I bet your mom can't do that."

I glowed. Such praise... wow!

Friend quickly replied, "No, but my Dad could."

Ahhh... the little dose of humility my pride was needing.