I’ve been under something of a deadline these past few weeks, which has been tough with my wife recovering from foot surgery. I made a deal with the kids to try to make everything work: they let me work for two hours, and then I spend two hours with them.

They were really good about it. We had a lot of fun, and I even got some writing done.

On Saturday, though, my oldest made a pronouncement. “When I grow up,” he said. “I’m gonna be a publisher.”

“I thought you were going to run a theme park,” I said. That had been his previous plan.

“Well yes,” he said, “but I’m also going to be a publisher. And you know what? I’ll publish your books.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that.”

“If you’re still a writer, that is,” he added.

“Excuse me?”

He gestured dramatically with his hands as he walked away. “And that’s a big if. Oh yeah, a really big if.”

It’s so nice when your kids decide to give you a hand.