grammar 101.

home schooled kids aren't always geniuses.

the home schooling mother isn't always patient.

and at times without benefit of quarterly report cards or outside review it's kinda hard to see "where we're at."

but then real life intervenes and you get a glimpse and then this sillymortalmama's breathing gets a bit easier. for a time at least.

case in point.

the lord of the ring and i received two unprompted thank you notes this week.

the first from the duke of fun.

Dear Mama and Papa,

Thank you for the N64. Me and Wingman and I really like it.

Love, The Duke

not a day later i got the following from wingman.

to PAPA AnD MAMA

thAnk you For the N64. The DuKe AnD I ReALLy Like It.

Love
WiNgman.

i know it doesn't seem like it, but they wrote those independent of one another. and, upper case and lower case issues aside, what these notes serve to illustrate is not only do we have appreciative and sweet boys, but that the whole when to use I and when to use Me issue is apparently NOT an issue for them.

(and that their parents are lucky bastards in that their gamble that an 11 year old 25$ on e-bay gaming system as their big ticket christmas gift would make them as ecstatically happy as it did. whew.)

back to the issue at hand, i have to say, this really pleases an old grammar curmudgeon like me.

because we all know the whole I and Me issue is a bit of a sticky wicket.

the quick and dirty of it all is as follows;

when you are talking about yourself and someone else THE OTHER PERSON IS ALWAYS MENTIONED FIRST and if you and that someone else are at the beginning of the sentence then it's I.

The Duke and I went to the store.

The King and I danced.

Sean Penn and I flirted heavily then...

well, you get the picture. moving right along.

when you are talking about yourself and someone else THE OTHER PERSON IS ALWAYS MENTIONED FIRST and if you and that someone else are at the end of the sentence then it's me.

Mama gave cookies to Wingman and me.

Papa is going to the store and is taking The Duke and me with him.

Tonight it's just going to be Sean Penn and me.

i know i know, it sounds like it should be I, but RESIST! for god sake man resist! it's ME! it is, i'm telling you! you won't "sound smarter" saying I at the end. you won't!! you just wont! just embrace it and move. on.

because one day we'll have to go into the whole lay vs. lie dealio and you're gonna wanna save your strength for that.

trust ME.

x.