Not too long ago, my wife decided to do the Weight Watchers thing. The meetings are crazy-early in the morning, actually before breakfast.

After the first meeting, she joined the boys and I for breakfast. While we ate our eggs and toast, she told us all about the new point system.

“So,” my oldest said. “What’s the most you’ve ever gotten?”

She looked at him blankly. “The most what?”

“Points. What’s the most you’ve ever gotten?”

“No,” she said. “It’s not like that.” She went on to explain that there’s a lot of science behind the point system, that different foods are assigned different points, and it’s a tool you can use to lose weight but stay healthy.

He waited patiently for her to finish. “So,” he said. “What’s the most you’ve ever gotten?”

“I, uh,” she looked at me. “Well, I don’t know.”

I gave my oldest a wink. “I’m pretty sure I’ve got her beaten on this one.” I nibbled some toast. “So, Momma, how many points could you get in one meal?”

She sighed. “I don’t know.”

“How about a large pepperoni and sausage pizza with an ice cream finish?”

“Yep.” She nodded. “You win.”

My oldest gave a triumphant laugh.

When you’re nine, losing weight is an abstract thing. Winning the most points, though? That rocks. Come to think of it, why do they call them points? Shouldn’t they be something people don’t want?