Money for nothin

I just had the nicest conversation with my youngest brother. Sometimes he’s like a real human. As we were talking, the subject of tattoos came up. He has a design all picked out, and I think it has the potential to be really cool, which is high praise from me. Our mom is clearly crazy on this subject. She’s threatened to cut us out of her will if we get tattoos, and she’s even hinted that she may hold me accountable for any tattoos the boys get if I don’t tell her about them. There are so many things wrong with that statement. First, I’m reasonably certain that she’s bluffing. Plus, using money to manipulate others is a personal vexation of mine. I don’t like it under any circumstances, but my mom has been practicing her skills lately. Poor kid. He’s in no financial position to actually follow through on getting a tattoo at the moment and probably won’t be for several years, but he also doesn’t want to call Mom’s bluff on the off chance that she’s not bluffing. I, on the other hand, would jump at the opportunity to show her that I will not be controlled. Too bad I don’t want a tattoo.