Yes or no??

Any good parenting book would advise you to ask your children open-ended questions. Supposedly, this encourages communication between family members. For example, rather than asking your child "How was school today?" one would ask "What was the most interesting thing you saw at school today?" Instead of getting an answer of "good" or "fine," you would theoretically get an answer that actually gives you a glimpse of what is going on in your kids life.

Any good parent would follow this advice. Not me.

Those kids of mine talk too much. Seriously! I wish they could give me one word answers.

Yesterday, I was flying around the house, trying to get everyone ready to leave for the day. "Maddie!!!" I yell as I'm shooting past her room. "Did you brush your teeth?"

I slow down just enough to hear her answer before I fly upstairs to rescue Beano from CoCo's latest dress-up date.

"Well........something something. Or something something. And, by the way, something something."

WHAT?!! Good grief Charlie Brown!! It was a yes or no question!!!

"Maddie!!! Yes or no?!!" At this point, I'm using the screechy voice that everyone loves. You know the voice - where people start to wonder exactly when mom is going to completely unravel.

"Something, something. Something something!!"

"MADDIE!!!!! It's a yes or no question!!! I just want a yes or no answer!!!! Yes? Or no?" By now it's too late to rescue the cat, and I am wondering what color CoCo will be painting his toenails.

"Not yet!!!" she yells.

Ugh! Seriously? I find myself doing this at least 10 times every day. Once or twice, and I could probably manage my insanity. But, it happens constantly. Every day.

"Owen! Did you let the dog out?"

"Ginger! Did you put your nail polish up where CoCo can't get it?"

"CoCo!! Did you remove all the bows from Beano's tail?"

These are yes or no questions!!! I would love to stop and have a conversation with my children. I really would. There's just no time for that.

And, if I'm being honest, I think that I have yelled "Stop talking!!!" one too many times. Any day now, DSS is going to be knocking at the door.


Will I win Mother of the Year this year??

No.

Will my kids require therapy as adults?

Yes.

Am I going to miss all of this chatter once the teenage years begin?

Yes.


See? Wasn't that simple?



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