The Journey Chronicles: Day Six, Beware! The Alien Approacheth!

Originally Posted 2/7/08

After we leave Mom's house, it's just us again. Us, meaning just parents & kids. We are headed south, but must stop for the night along the way.
At this point, we are approaching alien territory, metaphorically speaking. You see, there resides in our house a creature called a "tween". This creature is not quite a teenager, but possesses many of the same characteristics.
Apparently, when a child turns 11, the Tweeny Fairy comes to your house, flies into your child's bedroom, and bestows on the child special powers. These powers include eye-rolling, loud sighing and sarcasm.
Lack of sleep and riding for hours in the car increase these powers, so extreme care must be taken. Below is an excerpt of the conversation, as we approached our stop for the night:
Tween: "So, where are we staying tonight?"
Mom: "In Oklahoma City."
Tween: "No, I mean where."
Mom: "North Oklahoma City."
Tween: "Is it a hotel or a motel?"
Mom: "Why?"
Tween: "I don't like motels."
Mom: "Why not?"
Tween: "They're just not as nice."
Mom: "Well, it's a LaQuinta. Is that good enough for you, Miss Thang?"
Tween: "I guess. Does it have an indoor pool?"
This confuses me, as I thought you actually had to have a lot of money to engage in this type of conversation. At this point, the tween was reminded that she was blessed to be sleeping indoors at all, when many children in the world do not. I am quite sure she will appreciate this advice when she is.........thirty.