Many of you may be wondering why I have suddenly rematerialised after a three-month sabbatical (that’s what I’m calling it) and am blogging incessantly. Wouldn’t you know, I didn’t just go and join NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) for a laugh. I decided to take the challenge of posting every day for the month of November, and I’m well on my way to becoming a fully fledged NaBloPoMo-Fo. Will it redeem me? Probably. Not.
Ian has this innate way of just making me laugh out loud (excluding the times of wanting to hoist him on to a wall-mounted coat hanger and just leave him there, indefinitely). Yesterday as we were exiting Costco, Ian, as always, was clutching his receipt for the lady to check everything off and score it. The second she was done, he thrust out his little hand and she grabbed it, sighing a little as she said “alright”, and pulled him and the trolley with her. She and bent down and retrieved her smiley face stamp, and asked:
“What’s the magic word?”
Now. You must know. Everyone – including strangers – comment on what a polite little boy Ian is, and what great manners he has. I’ve hammered really made a point to instill this value into him. But still, there’s that moment, millisecond if you will, where as a parent you hope, just hope they say the right thing, even though you really know they will.
He spoke really low in her ear and I couldn’t make it out. She threw her head back and laughed and exclaimed, “That’s my kinda boy! Ha-ha-ha! Hocus Pocus! There you go sweetie.” And she stamped a smiley face on his left hand.
As we headed back out into the cool night air, I bent down and whispered, “Ian”, not really trying to hold back the laugh in my voice, “the magic word is ‘please’! But you know what? Hocus Pocus is really funny!”
a Brit different 