I had an interesting conversation with my seven year old last night after dinner. Well, it was during my dinner. She'd rejected eating any of the four different stuffed brats that hubby had cooked on the barbecue in favor of one slice of juicy watermelon. She obviously finished her meal much earlier than I did.
Ashley: "You said you'd take me to the Dollar Store"
Me: (Reaching over to select a tomato and basil chicken brat) "Did not"
Ashley: "Did too!"
Me: (popping a bit into my mouth) "I never said I was going to take you today"
Ashley: "You said you were going to Goat Hair!!"
This was followed by a lot of facial movements and several stomped feet for punctuation.
Me: "Goat hair?"
Ashley: "GO THERE"
Me: "Goat hair? I don't get it. Why would you want goat hair?"
Ashley: "I didn't say GOAT HAIR!" (more stomping)
Me: "Well, I suppose goat hair might be nice, except if you use it as
underwear, I think it might itch a bit"
Ashley: (folding arms across little chest in anger) "I don't want any GOAT HAIR!"
Me: "That's a relief, although I think you'd look spectacular in a goat hair coat"
Ashley: (trying extremely hard not to laugh) "That's not funny!"
Me: "Of course it's not funny. Just think how the goat would feel if you took
all of it's hair and made it into a coat. Poor thing would freeze to death, although I do think goat hair comes in a lot of different colors"
Ashley: "Stop it!!" (now pounding on dinner table, rattling the plates)
Me: "and just think of how you'd smell. What would your friends at school say?"
Ashley: (alternately laughing and looking mad) I don't WANT any goat hair! I want to GO THERE!"
Me. "Go where?"
Ashley: "WHY CAN'T YOU EVER BE SERIOUS FOR ONCE???"
Ah, and therein lies the real question. I'm not sure I have an answer for that one.
Ashley: "You said you'd take me to the Dollar Store"
Me: (Reaching over to select a tomato and basil chicken brat) "Did not"
Ashley: "Did too!"
Me: (popping a bit into my mouth) "I never said I was going to take you today"
Ashley: "You said you were going to Goat Hair!!"
This was followed by a lot of facial movements and several stomped feet for punctuation.
Me: "Goat hair?"
Ashley: "GO THERE"
Me: "Goat hair? I don't get it. Why would you want goat hair?"
Ashley: "I didn't say GOAT HAIR!" (more stomping)
Me: "Well, I suppose goat hair might be nice, except if you use it as
underwear, I think it might itch a bit"
Ashley: (folding arms across little chest in anger) "I don't want any GOAT HAIR!"
Me: "That's a relief, although I think you'd look spectacular in a goat hair coat"
Ashley: (trying extremely hard not to laugh) "That's not funny!"
Me: "Of course it's not funny. Just think how the goat would feel if you took
all of it's hair and made it into a coat. Poor thing would freeze to death, although I do think goat hair comes in a lot of different colors"
Ashley: "Stop it!!" (now pounding on dinner table, rattling the plates)
Me: "and just think of how you'd smell. What would your friends at school say?"
Ashley: (alternately laughing and looking mad) I don't WANT any goat hair! I want to GO THERE!"
Me. "Go where?"
Ashley: "WHY CAN'T YOU EVER BE SERIOUS FOR ONCE???"
Ah, and therein lies the real question. I'm not sure I have an answer for that one.
Hi Pamela,
ReplyDeleteI have a possible answer for your question:
Because life is too short!
It sounds like the conversations we had when my kids were growing up! Enjoy, they grow up so fast!
bhpbk - wht kds use to tk thr bks to schl.
I totally agree! Plus, I have trouble remaining serious for long. It's a gift.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree! Plus, I have trouble remaining serious for long. It's a gift.
ReplyDeleteHi Pammy, you'd better be serious about me, baby.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it fun to get them all riled up like that?!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting, I'm planing to blogroll you and come back again.
My poor children - particularly the 10-year-old daughter - ask me and their dad that question all the time ("Can't you ever be serious?"). Or we're frequently told, "You guys are such dorks!"
ReplyDeleteHa... I love it.
I'd like to have an argument.
ReplyDeleteSorry, bein' hit on the 'ead lessons in here.
Average Mom, thanks for visiting and I hope you return often. It's nice to know I'm not the only one that enjoys getting the wee ones riled up a bit.
ReplyDeleteNaddin J, we could quite possibly be twins. I can't count the times my children have berated me for not being serious.
Frontier Editor, I'll argue with you. What might be more fun is to arm wrestle! C'mere!
Tom, Tom, Tom....how could you possibly think I wasn't serious about you?
As long as you don't have one of those "Death Before Dishonor" tattos on your forearm.
ReplyDeleteActually, it's on my thigh.
ReplyDeleteWell, that's something you don't hear everyday
ReplyDeleteYou're just not hanging out with the right people!
ReplyDeleteSo many ways to answer that one . . . and so many ways to get myself in trouble . . ..
ReplyDeleteat least you have two legs?
Skipping merrily to hell . . . . .
You need to give me your phone number so I can give it to Heather. She desperately wishes to meet up with you at some point, in a dark alley.
ReplyDeleteI'm stumped.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, the answer to your daughter's question: I can't be, because Sirius is an immense, glowing, extraordinarily hot ball of gas and debris, much like Roseanne Barr during menopause.
I nearly choked when I read that! You should post a warning first!!
ReplyDeleteYou're right.
ReplyDeleteDon't read the post two spaces before this one.
I wouldn't dream of it!
ReplyDeleteClassic. I worked for almost 25 years with elementary school children and came to see myself as a sort of stand up comic for young juveniles!
ReplyDeleteOne of the surest get-a-laugh formulas is exactly what you did: Pretend to mishear/misunderstand. Maybe at first you really do, but then you run with it!
I really did misunderstand her at first, but then ran with it as usual.
ReplyDeleteMy children are my worst critics.