My Apologies to Betty Friedan

This morning, as I was buckling Miguel into his car seat, I said, "I love you so much! Do you know that?" He asked, "Do you love me even though I killed a spider?" I said that I did but would prefer that he didn't kill things because every living thing has a purpose in the world. We then discussed the roles that various insects and animals play in keeping balance in life. We discussed aphids and ladybugs, mosquitos and bats and lions and gazelles. He then asked, "What do people do?" While my cynical mind turned over a multitude of terrible things we do in the world, he spoke again, "I know what a mom is supposed to do...clean the house!"