Guilt and Relief

 Conversation with Eli:

- Mommy, as you get older, do you start to feel more guilty about stuff that you have done?
- I don't know... I suppose so. Why?
- I don't know why, but I just feel this need to tell you things, bad things that I have done.
- Like what?
- Will you be angry at me? Will you think I am really bad? Will you punish me?
- No, I don't think so. I can't imagine you could do something so bad.
- Well, it's pretty bad.  I wrote with a sharpie on the radiator in the school bathroom. I wrote "YOU WILL DIE" and drew a ghost with a sad face and a smiley face next to it. It's because my friend told me there is a ghost in the bathroom and I wanted to trick him so I showed it to him but didn't tell him I wrote it.
- OK, did he get scared?
- Not really, and I said to him "we'd better get our of here!" Are you mad at me?
- Not the worst thing in the world, but not so nice to scare your friend. Why did you tell me?
- It makes me feel better. But I don't want to talk about it ever again. Promise me you'll never ask another question about it.

Catholics are onto something with this confession business.