Last Sunday, my wife decided to go to the church where she teaches instead of the church we usually attend. Since there was no Sunday school that day, I was left to make my own call regarding our Sunday morning activities.

“We’re playing hookie,” I told the kids when they ran into our bedroom.

They finished climbing onto our bed before giving me a matched set of blank stares.

“We’re playing hookie,” I said again. “We’re skipping church this morning.”

“Hooray,” the six-year-old shouted. “No church!”

“Hooray,” his little brother echoed. “We’re making cookies!”

“No, what? No. No cookies,” I said. “We’re just skipping church. That’s all. No cookies.”

“But I thought you said we were making cookies?”

“No, I said ‘playing hookie’. It means we’re not doing something we should be doing. In this case, we’re not going to church even though we should.”

“Hooray,” he shouted, throwing his hands up. “Let’s make chocolate chip!”

“No! No cookies. We’re just not going to church. That’s all.”

“But that’ll give us time to make cookies.”

His older brother laughed. “Yeah!”

I pulled the pillow over my head. Next time this happens, we’re going to church.