On a hot summer day, some kids might think of setting up a lemonade stand in front of their house to earn a few extra quarters. Today, DS6, who has been absorbing my old collection of Peanuts cartoon books, carries a chair and a wooden box to the end of the driveway, and tapes up a sign that says "Psychiatric Help 5 Cents." He pins up another sign that says "The Doctor is in," and waits for customers. I couldn't say whether this is a sign of giftedness, and it certainly has not helped our reputation in the neighborhood, but it made my day.
In the end, he actually bestowed some decent advice - once his fee had been met - to my wife, me, and our neighbors. ('How do I stop siblings from quarreling?' 'Take them to the playground more; if they have more friends they might not fight as much.' 'How do I stop the squirrels from eating my bird food?' 'Have you tried putting up a squirrel feeder?')
