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up in the night alone with 10 lbs of candy and unlimited television is the best thing ever

My boy woke up way too early. It might have been 3 a.m. he said. He crept quietly downstairs and watched tv and ate Halloween candy until I woke up at 6. I asked him why he didn't come and get me. I suggested I could have helped him get back to sleep. He said he didn't want to make me mad by waking me in the middle of the night. I gave him the "really?" look. I suggested that perhaps he didn't want to get me because he wanted to watch tv and eat candy without any one else around to tell him no. I mentioned that perhaps the idea of having unlimited tv and candy at 3 a.m. was a dream come true and seemed worth any consequence. He gave me that look that says, "Damn. How does my mom know stuff? It's like she can read my mind!" 

 I wanted to spill the beans and tell him I know all about his motivations because I would have done the same thing at his age. Hell, I still do things like that at my age. I'm an adult who knows better but I often stay up until the wee hours of the morning eating unhealthy snacks and watching mind rotting television long after decent moms are tucked into their nice warm beds. I know I'll be a grouchy mess the next day but at that moment the lure of complete solitude, unlimited Netflix and salty snacks is too tempting to deny. 

 One day I'll give him the straight talk about how adults are no different than their 10 year old selves. I'll wait until he's older, like maybe in his 30s, when he's feeling frustrated and wondering when he's going to start feeling like an adult. It would be silly to tip my hand while he's still a kid. 

 Nah...I probably won't wait that long. No ten year old can keep a secret for that long. 

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