The kitchen was where my brothers and I played football, and I was supposed to keep an eye on them. I was playing big sister instead of babysitter, chatting with my pals, and ignoring my younger brothers. When I heard one of them shout “touchdown,” and then absolute silence, I should have known something was wrong. Although I didn’t hear any loud noises of explosions and gunfire, I assumed they had settled in to watch something on cable or turned on their gaming system. I entered the kitchen to find them staring blankly at the far wall. My youngest brother, who looked like he was going to cry, asked me if I thought our mother would get angry about the thermostat. The thermostat had fallen off the wall and was lying on the floor, so I examined both locations. I warned them that their mother would be very upset. She was going to get angry with them, but she was really upset with me because I hadn’t finished the task she’d given me. I called the HVAC provider and provided them with the thermostat’s identifying numbers, asking if they had a replacement. Before mom got home, I had to get it set up. To make sure I had the cash on hand to buy the new thermostat, I checked my bank balance. Even though I wanted my mother to be proud of me for replacing the thermostat at my own expense, I knew I had to tell her what had happened. When she returned to her apartment, I explained what had happened and handed her a cup of overheated pop. She thanked me with a pat on the hand and promised to reimburse me for the thermostat once she received her next paycheck.