The prodigal son has returned.

He burst into the baggage claim, gave me a courtesy hug, then told me to wait off to the side while he retrieved his suitcase.

On the way home he was silent, exhausted, but fighting sleep.

When he has to fight sleep, he usually fights me, too, but he didn't bother.

He answered a couple questions, but mostly he said, "I'll tell you tomorrow, OK?"

Tomorrow came and he woke up and got dressed with minimum fuss, then actually talked about his trip as I was driving him to school.

Apparently it inspired him so much that he now wants to specialize in history.

After school, he held in his rage when I sadly informed him that the cell phone that replaced the one that got washed twice ended up in the washing machine along with the other contents of his suitcase.

He clenched his fists. He said, "But it wasn't in my pocket!"

Then he accepted my promise to replace the phone as soon as possible.

He doesn't need to know that I bid on a one-cent phone from eBay, right?

The shocker was when he pulled out a math test with a score that made both of us beam. Since I knew how hard he worked on it, I figured a celebratory trip to the bookstore was in order.

He not only picked a book for himself, but one to read to his little sister, which he patiently started to read and explain to her even as she interrupted with little revela-tions that had nothing to do with the Frisby family or the rats of Nimh.

He read his own book, of course, but put it down at homework time and took a shower without argument.

I don't intend to send him away again any time soon, but I have to admit that it's nice to see that he might have learned as much about himself as he did about the historical sites between Boston and Washington, D.C.

When she's not being a reporter, Treena Shapiro is busy with her real job, raising a son and daughter. A blogger at www.honoluluadvertiser .com, she is constantly on the hunt for child-rearing tips, family-friendly activities and amusing anecdotes. She'll share the best and the worst here and encourages you to do the same. Reach Treena at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.