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One of the most challenging aspects of parenthood is convincing your child that you have some idea of what you are doing ... because you usually don't.

"I don't need a jacket today," my six-year-old will report to me on mornings that I look out the window and observe ice falling from the sky.

"You need a jacket," I will insist. "It's freezing, and you are only wearing a T-shirt that appears to be two sizes too small."

"But, I'm not cold," he will reason, as if logic is something he uses on a regular basis.

"Put on your jacket," I will counter.

"But, MOMMY WHHHHHHYYYYYYY?" His voice will go up several octaves and level out in a long whine like a dying balloon looking for a safe place to land on the floor.

"Because," I will pause and then utter those words that all parents swear never to use: "I SAID SO."

Providing such rationale is typically a dead giveaway to any child worth his salt that you have exhausted all your 'real' answers and have gotten desperate. My older son, age 10 going on 40, is especially salty.

"I really think you should join a soccer league," I will say on occasion, varying the suggested sport with each season.

"Not interested," he will murmur from the couch, the glowing reflection of Minecraft dancing in his eyeballs.

"You'll make some new friends," I will point out, "And, you could really use the exercise."

I'll go over a prepared list of data points and supporting research to validate my position, like a freshman on the first day of debate club, usually getting monosyllabic counter-arguments or grunts in reply.

Finally, I'll give up. "How do you know you don't like something if you don't try it??" I'll wail, exasperated.

Here, he'll glance up briefly and inform me, "I've never tried having my brain eaten by zombies, but I'm pretty certain I wouldn't like it."

Obviously, my children are getting older, and they are becoming more aware of the fact that at any given time, as a parent, I am winging it. "Because," is increasingly less convincing as an answer for questions like, "Why can't I have a bowl of jelly beans for dinner?" or "How come I have to wear pants to Grandma's party?" Really, I just don't know.

Recently, I overheard my older son instructing his brother on the finer points of a video game they were playing.

"Why do I need to defeat ALL the bad guys on this level?" the six-year-old questioned.

"Because," his brother paused, "I said so."

At least I'm not the only one who doesn't know what they're doing.

- Rachael Koenig

Rachael Koenig is a writer and humorist deriving most of her inspiration from her two sons, aged nine and five, and step-daughter, aged 13. Her site Maxisms contains personal stories and a collection of precocious, snarky and hilarious conversations between herself and her children. Her work has recently appeared on scarymommy.com, rolereboot.org, whattheflicka.com and The New York Times parenting blog Motherlode. She thinks of herself as more of an essayist than a blogger, because she is old-fashioned and grumpy and out of touch with modern social media vernacular. Also, "blogger" still sounds like something one would pull out of a left nostril. She can be reached on Facebook.