I managed to accidentally traumatize my four-year-old tonight. He knows that if he leaves his toys out in the living room before going to bed that I will collect them, put them in my closet, and keep them. Today he managed to make the living room messier than usual, taking all of his stuffed animals and books out of his room and onto the living room rug.

“Cooper,” I said after dinner. “You need to put your toys away.”

“But I don’t want to,” he replied, as if that was a factor I had not considered in what he apparently thought was a discussion of terms.

“Okay. That means I get to keep all of your toys, then.”

Cooper paused. His countenance fell when he came to the logical consequence of this action. With tears welling, he asked, “Froggy too?”

Froggy is Cooper’s best friend in the whole world. No other plush frog has ever been loved the way Cooper loves Froggy. And tonight he thought he was about to lose his best friend forever.

It took thirty minutes for Cooper to stop crying. Then he cleaned the living room.

Tonight, I earned this cup of coffee.