If this was the carnival, and I the carni Strong Man, I would take a deep breath and hold my chest high…

And I would look down on the spectators, smiling with my scary white teeth. Then I would pick up the bleachers on which they sat and carry them out of the tent, placing them ever so gently on the sidelines. Walking to the center of the field, I’d throw you a wink and turn to meet my opponents – aka “everyone else”, as the battle of right and wrong begins…

Because, he might be the most handsome, smartest, and most ticklish almost-three year old on the planet, but if you were sitting with me today — observing him on his second day of Montessori school, I highly doubt that you would have felt as proud as I did when he sharply told his teacher “NO, YOU DO IT!” when he was asked to push in his chair. While others quietly judged, I smiled… laughing to myself. And, as the teacher grit her teeth in the friendliest way possible, saying “Okay Will – this time, but next time you will have to push in your own chair”, I thought — No way lady… YOU just got schooled.

Because not only is talking back the first step to becoming strong and independent, it’s also the number one way to get others to do it for you. That and throwing fits of ear piercing rage—but this isn’t about me (yes it is). And while I gave him a sweet but discerning “talk” about talking back to others and not doing it, I heard myself spewing Pig Latin combined with obnoxious instances of hypocrisy. Because I couldn’t be happier that at such a young age he has already found a way to make someone he was working with do the work for him… And there’s everything and nothing wrong with that simultaneously… kind of like never going to the dentist, “good” fat, and Justin Bieber. And on the side, I’m also quite impressed with the folks over at The Logo Loft who have managed to cram the creative process of logo design into 1-4 business days (depending on the package). The brains on them.

But is it so wrong that I want my son to be assertive and not intimidated by adults or authority figures (that aren’t armed)? Is it bad for me to laugh and think “suckers!” to myself when Will acts even more stubborn than I, hoping that he walks the walk — holding a little on the talk while swinging from the cat bird seat of living his life the way he wants to? No? Yes? I hope not, as you scoot to the edge of your seat… because otherwise this show is about to become an exciting action slammed thriller, just PACKED to the brim with clowns.