One of my kids introduced them to the “step on a crack, break your mother’s back” rhyme. Since jumping over cracks is something we do anyway, my oldest kind of latched on to it. Besides, it’s kind of funny when they step on a crack on purpose and grin evilly at their mom. They don’t do it often, but it’s still funny.

The other day, as we were leaping from sidewalk square to sidewalk square, the big guy stopped and stomped his foot down on a thin black crack.

“Saw that,” I said. “Now you have to spin!”

That’s the game: if you step on a crack, you have to spin 3 times. As we walk, we widen the game, shouting out “don’t step on white” or, if we’re in a crosswalk, “only step on white.”

“Nah-ah,” he said. “It’s not a crack. It’s a line.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Step on a line, break your daddy’s mind,” he said. “I broke your mind, Daddy. I broke your mind!”