People just thought I was crazy

Ben: "I can't remember the name of the old prophet."

Ms. Reasor: "The old prophet?"

Ben: "The one who's gone already."

Ms. Reasor: "Gordon B. Hinckley."

Ben: "Hinckley..."

Ben's Little Sister: "Ya! He was shot."

Ben: "No he wasn't-- that was Abraham Lincoln."

Ben's Little Sister: "Oh yeah. Hehe. He fainted and then he died.

The dialogue above sent me back to my early years, when prophets were called presidents and presidents ran the country and articles of faith were the commandments, and the first amendment began "We believe in God the Eternal Father..."

Imagine my surprise when Melissa Stawnachy demanded I had been baptized as a baby and there were only ten articles of faith. Or was it 13 commandments?

Childhood as a Mormon American can be utterly confusing. At least, Ben and sister are surrounded by people who understand their confusion. People think they're cute. When I was kid, in the mission field, people just thought I was crazy.