The 9-Year-Old Magician.

In our house, there is a magician you cannot let your guard down around.

My second son, a fourth grader. Nine years old.
Everything he does is just impossibly cute.

No, I am well aware that the age where he is cute without any effort has already passed. However, even setting aside the fact that he is my own child, my second son is cute.

By the way, my eldest son is also super cute.
That is for another time.

Since he was a baby, my second son has had squishy, mochi-like cheeks. He drank his milk well, devoured his baby food, and would occasionally try to grab my food with his hands. He was greedy about eating in every way possible. Now, his face line has become quite sharp, but he is still fully aware that his own cheeks are the softest and most pleasant to touch in the whole family.

That is why, when he wants to get his way with his parents or his older brother, he rubs his cheeks against them. If you accidentally touch them, you have fallen right into his trap. As if to say, "You've fallen for it," he then presents his request. He takes the other person's hand, makes them knead his squishy cheeks, and then tells them what he wants to do.

Once it gets to that point, most people end up saying, "Okay." That is how exceptionally pleasant his cheeks are to touch. You might think, "Over something like that?" but he manages to captivate the whole family over things just like that.

He is my own child, but what a terrifying kid!

I keep my guard up so as not to lose to such magic. I am the final barrier. Mom won't fall for it so easily, you know. It seems my second son thinks so too. I am not as easy to handle as his father or his older brother.

Perhaps because of that, whenever something inconvenient happens (e.g., he forgot his school lunch apron at school), he comes to tell me with a dejected look on his face. He lets his father and older brother touch his cheeks to try and avoid getting scolded, but he knows that won't work on me. Amazing, second son. You are a strategist.

He comes to tell me with a dejected look, and after being scolded thoroughly, he gives me a tight hug. He hugs me and whispers in my ear.

"Mom, you're cute even when you're just acting normal."

Argh!! So cute!!

Yes. I, too, was completely wrapped around my second son's finger.

My second son observes the other person well, carefully considers how to make things go smoothly, and puts it into practice. He fails sometimes, but he never gives up. He makes the other person feel good and moves people exactly as he intends.

He repeats trial and error to find a better way. Isn't he exactly like a model from a business book?
You've got it, second son.
So cute.

I am both terrified and excited for his future.
Please, just don't become someone who earns money by deceiving people.