Daniel

My little brother is nine years younger than me and five inches taller. Last summer he decided he wanted to get a job, but for a year he has been told by everyone that he needs to be at least 16. That's how he got a job at the cow farm.

Our mom thinks it's good because he'll learn responsibility. I think it's good because it will toughen him up. He thinks it's good because of the money and with his new wealth he has purchased what no game store can keep stocked: the Nintendo Wii.

Since I'm visiting for mother's day, I got to enjoy the newness of the game with everyone else. We played Wii Bowling and Mario Karts. I kind of expected it to be cooler, but it's still a good time. I'm a better bowler on the Nintendo than in real life.

This morning I convinced my brother that he wanted to go clothes shopping with me and Mom. The last time he wanted to go shopping with me he was eight and I promised him that we would stop at the candy store and KB Toys.

He'd given up a concert to have some more time with me, so I wanted him to come along rather than just waste the extra time. Originally he looked at me as if I'd asked him to accompany me to hell. But I explained that having me in the store was better than a frantic phone call about what he should buy, so he agreed to come. I think he reconsidered the wisdom of that once he was in the car, but with help from the sales guy we managed to purchase two pairs of jeans that are indelibly cool.

Our mother still has no idea why those jeans were cooler than the others. I took photos and I'm making her a chart.