Exasperation

If you have a teenage daughter, you know what this word can sound like:

"MOTHER!"

I hadn't told her she couldn't stay out past eleven with her friends. I hadn't told her to do the dishes two nights in a row. I hadn't even borrowed her favorite earrings without asking.

"What? What did I do wrong?" I asked.

"Bwah! Nothing!" she flapped her hands in frustration at the last page of my unfinished manuscript. "It's just you ended on a cliff-hanger AGAIN! And there are no more pages left for me to read! YOU NEED TO FINISH THIS BOOK!"

That's the kind of teenage-girl exasperation I truly appreciate.

Complete Sentences

The kindergarten teacher said I should have my son practice speaking to me in complete sentences. So I asked him to tell me what he wanted on his toast, in a complete sentence.

"Mom, I would like some strawberry jam period."