What Does He Want to Be When He Grows Up?

The Boy, flicking a stick in the air, announced, "This stick reminds me of something else I want to be."

"What's that?" I asked, catching a glimpse of him in the rearview mirror.

"A music constructor." Amused, the girls all laughed and repeated it several times, but he continued confidently, "So I either want to be a zookeeper, a music constructor that teaches music, or a waiter. So I need to practice holding a tray with one hand."

He proceeded to conduct--or construct--imaginary musicians the rest of the way home, while I wondered if I could divert him from his waiter dream, if only to preserve the dishes.