I Tell You What

It's been almost a month since my last post, and I'm not apologizing. In fact, you probably won't see another post until March 30, the day after a big deadline for Daddy. But this couldn't wait, chiefly because it tested so well when Mommy shared it with Nanan today.

Of course, kids pick up on what they hear in the home. And we're proud that so far, Siena hasn't picked up any swear words. I can hear some of you gasping at this, familiar as you are with Daddy's ability to cuss like a longshoreman under the proper circumstances. But so far "Oh my Goodness" and an inchoate grunt of frustration are the closest The Little Boo has come to sweaing.

She's picked up other mannerisms and figures of speech from her parents, and has already started using them against us.

Saturday night, 7:00 p.m. Dinner is winding down, and Siena has settled down to a nice game of solitaire Candy Land. Hoe can you play Candy Land solitaire, you ask? When you lack the attention span to play it with two people, however, the question really is moot; for Siena, the fun's in setting up the game. Anyway, Mommy and I inform Siena that she can't bust out a game right now, as she has to take a bath and go to bed. and I swear to God, this is what she said:

"I tell you what. I play two games, then I read some books."

When she gets to "two games," she actually holds up two fingers, like she's bargaining at the Farmer's Market over the price of avocados. Of course, she nowhere mentions bath or bed, which for me really was the deal-breaker.

Mommy swears that Siena gets this from me. I wouldn't know, though I can recall a time or two when Siena's tried to bargain her way into or out of something and I've announced my Solomonic compromise with "I'll tell you what." So like the hoary old Just Say No public service announcement, Siena has effectively said, "I learned it from watching you, Dad!"

Read it a couple of times, slowly. 'Cause Daddy's not likely to resurface 'til the end of March. And Happy Mardi Gras, y'all.