One of the few magic tricks I’ve mastered is the “pull something out of your child’s ear” classic. I do it so well, in fact, that it’s become the source of a running disagreement with the boys. I say that whatever comes out of their head belongs to me. They say it belongs to them.

The other day, however, it seemed as though the whole thing was going to come to a screeching halt.

“I know how you do that,” my youngest announced.

“Oh yeah?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he said. “And I know how you do it.”

“How?” I asked.

“You sneak it into our ear earlier, when we’re not paying attention.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. Like when we’re asleep or something. You sneak stuff into our ears, and then pull it out later.”

“No,” I said, flashing back to a certain French Fry incident  (click here to read it), “I don’t think so.”

“Hmm,” he said, still suspicious.

Looks like get to enjoy pulling things from ears for at least a little while longer.