Lately I have been doing a lot of absent minded answering. "Mom, we're playing time out." As the two little ones scoot chairs across my kitchen floor, screeching and scraping as they go. "Hmmm. Ok." I respond as my mind is focused on whatever nonsense has flitted into my head.
"Mom, can I have a cookie?" Me: "In a second." Them: "You said yes?" Me: "Yes, what? Oh! No! Lunch is coming in just a minute."
"Mom, Colton is playing chicken in the street with the cars." Me: "That's nice...is he having fun?" Okay, so the last one is an extreme exaggeration. Er, or it's at least an exaggeration.
"Honey, we have to move to Tanzania for my job." Me: "Oh that sounds wonderful." Again, exaggerating, but I believe this conjures an image which is at least close to the truth.
Big sigh. Fortunately, my children are persistent, so they don't relent until I actually answer them, and my husband knows when I've really heard him and when I have not...so we won't be moving to Tanzania anytime soon, and my children will not be playing in traffic.
Shannon
P.S. That's my name...for those of you who only have been acquainted with the Mamma side of me.