At Dinner
Hey, Younger Monkey - want another helping of chow?
Yea, please.
You have to say 'yes' or 'no'. 'Yea' 'naw' 'yup' 'nope' 'nuh-uh' ... don't convey what you mean with clarity. They're not precise [1].
(eye roll) Yes, please.
Thank you!
Later That Night
Did you wash everything when you took your bath?
No.
Hey - you know you're supposed to wash everything[2].
Well. I didn't wash my skin on the inside or my blood or my bones.
Wha?
Daddy. You have to be precise.
Then he smiled - a nice smile - and brushed his teeth.
[1] Some of you will accuse me of being a nit picky wretch. And you would be right. All I can say is that you were not present for a truly monumental tongue lashing on this subject from the company gunnery sergeant when you were eighteen and reporting to Infantry Training School. Stuff like that has a lasting impact.
[2] He has this thing going on where he misses great chunks of his body when washing. So that he'll have clean everything else and muddy elbows. Or a grubby neck. He's eight - but I'd prefer a clean child after a bath not one with a grimy neck.
Hey, Younger Monkey - want another helping of chow?
Yea, please.
You have to say 'yes' or 'no'. 'Yea' 'naw' 'yup' 'nope' 'nuh-uh' ... don't convey what you mean with clarity. They're not precise [1].
(eye roll) Yes, please.
Thank you!
Later That Night
Did you wash everything when you took your bath?
No.
Hey - you know you're supposed to wash everything[2].
Well. I didn't wash my skin on the inside or my blood or my bones.
Wha?
Daddy. You have to be precise.
Then he smiled - a nice smile - and brushed his teeth.
[1] Some of you will accuse me of being a nit picky wretch. And you would be right. All I can say is that you were not present for a truly monumental tongue lashing on this subject from the company gunnery sergeant when you were eighteen and reporting to Infantry Training School. Stuff like that has a lasting impact.
[2] He has this thing going on where he misses great chunks of his body when washing. So that he'll have clean everything else and muddy elbows. Or a grubby neck. He's eight - but I'd prefer a clean child after a bath not one with a grimy neck.
