Today was Anna’s first confession, otherwise known as the Catholic sacrament of Reconciliation.

The Seal of Confession is the absolute duty of priests not to disclose what they learn during penance. Even parents are instructed never to ask their children what they’ve confessed. The absolution of sins is serious business, and it’s strictly confidential.

“So…wha’dja confess?” I asked Anna as she exited the booth.

“I told him that I sneaked on Roblox without your permission,” she said. “And that I ate candy when you didn’t know. That I stole chapstick out of Eva’s room, and I accidentally killed Gilbert when I threw dirty pennies in his fish bowl.”

“Anything else?” I asked.

“Yes. When you asked me to clean my room today, I shoved everything under my bed.”

The kid’s not dumb, I thought as I examined the tornado wreckage under her bed. Somehow she understood that sharing her confession would grant her full immunity.