Marital Bliss
Happy, or rather, successful partnerships, married or otherwise, share a common feature, the ability to communicate effectively and dispel conflict by achieving peaceful solutions to differences in a harmonious manner. But only in an ideal world…………
We bicker in the kitchen. Because we are bickering seriously and refuse to be deflected from our joint purpose of one up-man-ship, we ignore our children. As often as not the subject matter of a conflict is irrelevant, something and nothing. Quick tempered or slow to rise to the bait, the skirmishes between couples are all too commonplace.
“Don't be so pig headed, just give it a go.”
“Mommee has not being head of dah pig,” interjects the ignored one.
“I won't or rather I can't, and there's and end to it.”
“Where it is, dah end?”
“It'll only take a mo.”
“What it is dah mo?”
“Another time perhaps, just not now! Can't you see I'm up to my elbows in dishes?”
“Not elbows, dah forearmses. Not dah dishes, dah soapes er…..bubbles.”
“Leave them be, they're not going anywhere. I need your help now!”
“Where dey go, where dah dishes are going?”
“It'll only take a sec, done in a trice!”
“Why for are you dah fast talk?'
“You always say that and then I'll be stuck in the garage until kingdom come!”
“Why for are you dah loud talk?”
“Hogwash, you don't half exaggerate!”
“Why for are you dah mad talk?”
“Not 'mad,' cross!” chorus the foreigners to the speech delayed seven year old.
A moment of silence aids blood pressure fall out and the restoration of sanity.
January 10th, 2008 at 12:23 am
And then, more chatter and soap bubbles? One remembers when the words were less…….
January 10th, 2008 at 12:25 am
Love it.
January 10th, 2008 at 1:59 am
Only in an ideal world….
January 10th, 2008 at 2:21 am
I love it!
January 10th, 2008 at 3:43 am
eeeps! Having an argument is so much harder with “ears” present!
January 10th, 2008 at 4:03 am
Gotta love that literal interpretation!!
January 10th, 2008 at 4:51 am
*thinks she needs to invest in masks, tights and capes and turn this into a tag-team partnership*
January 10th, 2008 at 5:38 am
Okay, what the heck is that thing in the picture?
A giant Hostess Ding Dong?
Joe
January 10th, 2008 at 5:46 am
Mhm. Skirmishing around here is usually done in our kitchen too. ;o)
January 10th, 2008 at 6:17 am
Love the pic! (and the yule log). Let’s see, skirmishes around here are usually ignored, unless someone pipes up to tell me that daddy is right.
January 10th, 2008 at 6:49 am
Those are some valid questions you were fielding.
I’ve become so accustomed to my girl’s speech delays that they barely register anymore. It’s like they have ME trained.
January 10th, 2008 at 7:06 am
Skirmishing is better in the kitchen (rather than in a much smaller room)
January 10th, 2008 at 7:07 am
Love that literal interpretation.
Cute photo. The yule log looks delicious – did you make your own?
January 10th, 2008 at 7:15 am
OK Joe’s comment made me chokeas I tried to muffle my laugh from sleeping Moosie. I was wondering the same thing! Couldn’t figure out why it would be growing a fern? I had never actually seen a Yule Log before.
January 10th, 2008 at 7:37 am
There’s something to be said for taking things literally. That was hilarious.
January 10th, 2008 at 7:57 am
Happy Marriage, the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus… see if you can guess the common trait…
January 10th, 2008 at 8:46 am
lol…it could have been worse. You could have done like me and slipped out the infamous F word and now that is all he is saying when he gets angry. (Sigh)
January 10th, 2008 at 9:28 am
Difficult to argue in front of kids at the best of times but when your child thrives on echolalia you really have to watch your p’s and q’s.
Crystal xx
January 10th, 2008 at 9:30 am
Loved the dialogue. The conversation was very funny even if it didn’t seem that way at the time. I imagine the “ignored one” softened you both up a bit…
January 10th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Laughs…
It’s not the 8yr old adding to the conversation.. it’s him thinking the conversation has to do with him…
Is it Friday yet??
Sheri
January 10th, 2008 at 9:54 am
I can totally see my son doing the same thing when he gets older… He hates when my husband and I are argueing/bickering, and thinks we are mad at him. It’s good in a way because it makes us realize we’re “misbehaving”, and then we stop.
The log looks so yummy, and I love the expression on your son’s face!
January 10th, 2008 at 10:07 am
I love the corrections. His and yours. I wonder where he gets it from?
January 10th, 2008 at 10:32 am
wow, i have to say i am impressed at the ignored one’s ability to pick up all the social clues (ok, ok…so some of them were extremely blatant and hard to miss…but still picking up on the interactions and meanings, not just in his own world…observing, processing, trying out conclusions and asking for feedback on them…good stuff even if the timing was less than desirable) and actually look to interact in all of that. giggling at his corrections of terms too.
January 10th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Lovely how kids can diffuse a situation like that!
January 10th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Aw. He is so sweet for defending you when husband accuses of you having the head of a dah pig.
January 10th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
He is so sweet
January 10th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
I love it ..I am so pleased that you haven’t the Head of a pig.. hehehehe
cheers Kim
January 10th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Glad to know we aren’t the only ones who let our kids witness discourse!!!! I find so many times that kids are the ones that help keep it in perspective…like your sweetie did!!!!
January 10th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Love the picture! What is that he’s eating?
January 10th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Is that cake? I’m gonna have to go find some cake now.
January 10th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Is that thing chocolate? I can barely stand looking at the picture without rushing out to buy something like that at the bakery.
We’ve got a little mediator of our own, a literalist and a mediator, who does his best to defuse any discussions we might be having, although he himself is often confused. He frequently thinks we’re arguing when we’re either (a) ranting mutually about something that has ticked us off, or (b) just having a regular old discussion.
I believe in letting our children see us disagree and then see us be “friends” again afterward. It’s important for them to know that disagreement doesn’t mean something catastrophic.
January 10th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
levity….a child between his parents who fuss. oh, they are adorable, aren’t they?
January 10th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
It is hard to say something nice when your spouse is being hard headed no matter if your child is in the room.
I was once told that is good for your children to see you fight but peaceflly.
Now how to have a peaceful fight – don’t throw dishes.
Smile!
January 11th, 2008 at 9:17 am
In the picture you son looks as though he is…in a chocolate heaven or something…the dessert looks very yummmy.
January 11th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
I love the dialogs you share. Priceless.