Using the Right Words

Today I learned how important it is to teach your children to speak clearly and accurately. For instance, if your child says open make sure they actually mean open and not close. Or if your child says on, make sure they actually mean on and not off.

Why is it so important? (As if I am not going to tell you...) As I was folding the girls' laundry that had been sitting in a basket for over a week, Maura entered her room to tell me that she was washing her hands in my bathroom and could not turn the water ON. I replied, "Just use your bathroom sink since the faucet is new and can turn quite easily." She did and promptly went downstairs.

I continued my folding duties for another 10-15 minutes. I then cocked my head like a dog who has heard a whistle in the distance. Is that water running??? I ran to my bathroom to discover that the sink could not drain the water as fast as it was coming out of the faucet. Water was overflowing on to the floor.

Ahhh....you meant OFF. Crap.

Not laughing at all.