Chicken Nugget Tag

Well, duh!

The McGrath family had gathered for their weekly supper together. With four kids still in school and all active in sports and music, even a single dinner together was tight but they had committed to weekly dinners no matter the cost.

The dinner was a chance for everyone to talk about what was happening with friends and school and work. More than anything, though, it was a chance for the parents to catch up and read between the lines of what was happening in the lives of their children.

The parents were usually the first to speak up, followed by the kids but in no particular order.

Krista, the youngest of the siblings in second grade, was the first to go this week.

“I played chicken nugget tag at lunch time today with Adam, Amelia, Jordan, and Zoe. It was fun because I outraced them all and they couldn’t catch me.”

The high school senior, John, was the first to question her.

“So, this chicken nugget tag, Krista. Did it involve chicken nuggets? I mean, did you try to chase the others to see who would get the biggest nugget? What if someone ate it while they were being chased?”

The other siblings chuckled but her father made it clear with his look that they were in the wrong for laughing.

She took a bite of her burger, and with her mouth full, said. “Not quite, Johnny. We named it that because it’s what we had to eat before we ran around. Yesterday it was Pizza Tag and the day before that it was Burger Tag.”

Krista looked around at the table and realized she had silenced their laughter, so she added, “Doesn’t everyone do that?”