(Actually, I just asked him, since he’s across the kitchen making coffee. I’ll have to edit part of his response, but he said he’s not exactly sure, he probably played raquetball or watched a movie. “Speech and debate tournament?” he said, in response to his own query. “Wow. That’s pretty geeky.”)

So neither of us can say boo on the topic. If either of our daughters goes, it’ll be a genetic feat. But speaking of genetics, it’s always bugged me that so many kids with DS get elected prom king and queen. I know it’s not even Valentine’s Day, but this topic arose yesterday when I was telling a colleague about the Today Show basketball thing.

“Yeah, you don’t want your kid to be a mascot,” she said. “Like how they always elect the kids with Down syndrome to be prom king or queen. I hate that. It’s so insulting.”

This woman is considerably younger than I, so high school is fresher in her mind. And unlike me, she was probably considered cool — cool enough, as she admitted, to help engineer the prom king election of a kid who wasn’t disabled or anything, but really smelled. It was payback for the girl who was going to be prom queen — no one liked her. (Go figure, how’d she win?)

This woman’s point: It’s way worse to get elected for the wrong reasons, whether they be because you’re smelly and unpopular or because you’re the dorky kid with DS who high fives everyone in the hall.

I know, I know. I’m a real downer this week. (Which is odd, since I’m on such a high after Night Four of the Big Girl Bed. Borrowed time, I fear.) It’s one of those cases of overthinking, again. Really, if Sophie wants to be prom queen, I hope she wins. I guess. Honestly, I can’t say I’m sure I’ll feel that way. I’m willing to reserve complete judgement.

For the record, no, I didn’t get asked to prom. But I did come in FOURTH for Miss Olympian, which was our version of prom queen at Arcadia High School. I’m not sure I was supposed to know, only the top three were officially named; some kid in my English class was on student council and told me. True, I was in a lot of activities in high school, but I was also a total geek, so I’ll have to wonder my whole life why I got those votes at all.

I wonder if they’ll let Sophie on the speech and debate team. I wonder if she’ll want to be on it.