Guest Blogger: M. Discusses My Chances for "Mother of the Year."

I (M.) shall embark on my first blog entry. I present to you the post that Hillary refuses to write. See if you can guess why?

On Tuesday, in a battle of wills, Brogan refused to engage in his swim team session. He defiantly stood at the edge of the pool knowing full well the wrath that was to come from mom. He got home, and took his medicine bravely.

Then the knowing wife threw down the ultimate card: “Wait until your Dad comes home and you can tell him what you did.”

Remember that torture? Hillary had already taken care of business, and took away all computer and TV time. What else was left for me to do?

I come home, and Brogan had the look of someone who was about to go to the executioner. I took my time marching him upstairs, and I told him he had one more chance or the hammer would fall. “ Brogan, do you realize what you are going to miss this weekend if you don’t get your act together?”

I shared my plan of buying “Iron Man” and having a movie night with snacks Mom doesn’t buy. (That is why we need Dads, right?) Boys who don’t have screen time won’t get to enjoy the movie night. When you don’t do the work you’re supposed to do, you don’t get to enjoy the fun things. I sternly told him that he had to keep my plan a secret

And so Brogan embarked on this week with a secret and a mission. You can imagine how hard it is for a 7 year old to keep a secret. He spent four days about to bust. He made it 3 days with some close calls on the secret, and Friday it was time for his dreaded swim team practice.

He forgot his goggles and towel, but that didn’t matter. He attacked that pool. “I am keeping the secret. I am not missing out on the movie, and I am not feeling Dad’s wrath after practice.”

Today is Saturday and we are getting ready for the trip to the store. All Brogan’s efforts have paid off. He gets to see the surprise for his brothers and is all geared up for the trip to Walmart.

In his moment of triumph, Hillary started prattling about watching “Iron Man“ and our movie night.

Brogan froze in his tracks.

Braden shouted from the kitchen. “What was that?”

Brogan’s eyes bugged out and Dad began shaking his head.

We still will have fun with our movie night, but Hillary has taken a giant step back from that “Mom of the Year” award.