Horticultural Advice From The Kid
For St. Patrick's Day, I sent The Kid a funny shirt that said "The Leprechaun's Made Me Do It" [sic]. I hadn't noticed the grammatical error until I got it home and Peter pointed it out. My dad ('Da' to The Kid) is the son of an editor, so I knew he would spot the mistake instantly. I also wrapped up a few little festivities-related trinkets for The Kid to deliver to the family.
During the course of the weekly phone call with my parents, they put The Kid on the phone. He's not much of a phone talker, but the key is to keep him engaged. After the thank-yous and general greetings were exchanged, I decided to seek horticultural advice, since at the time I happened to notice the aphids were back on my indoor herb plants. (How does that happen? They're inside plants. It's like when your indoor cat gets fleas. Frustrating and completely unfair.)
Me: Hey, The Kid, I've got a problem, do you think you could help me?
The Kid: Sure!
Me: My plants have bugs on them.
The Kid: What kind of bugs?
Me: Aphids.
The Kid: Are those like bees?
Me: No. They're teeny tiny white bugs.
The Kid: What do they do on the plants?
Me: They eat them.
The Kid: Oh, don't worry. The plants will grow back.
Me: Really? That's all I have to do?
The Kid: Yep. I'm really pretty sure they'll grow back.
Me: Thanks, The Kid. I'm going to put the plants outside for awhile so the rain and wind can blow the aphids off.
The Kid: Bye!
Middle Brother picked up the phone and asked how I managed to keep The Kid on the line for so long. I guess it's all about the questions you ask.
posted by -Ann @ 4:01 a.m.
6 Comments:
Ha ha, great advice! Did it work? ;-)
The Kid sounds like my nine year old grandson who doesn't like to speak over the phone and we have many awkward conversations, which I would rather not have at all, but sometimes you just gotta.
so did anybody complain about the shirt?
My youngest is like that. He sits silent on the line unless asked a question. If he's silent more than 5 seconds, he says goodbye and hands me the phone. Doesn't even wait to hear the other person say so long.
I'm curious about the shirt, too.
I'm late saying this, but well done on finishing Moby Dick. And for keeping The Kid on the line for longer than 2 seconds.
Babaloo - Absolutely. Not worrying about things always works, doesn't it?
SI - I think I get a little more phone time out of The Kid because he only sees me once a year.
Laurie - Ha! Leave it to an editor to ask. Da noticed right away. Before sending it, I had tried to remove the offending apostrophe, but it was holding tight and I didn't want to wreck the shirt. I can only blame the leprechauns.
Kaycie - I remember being much more phone-friendly as a kid - maybe it's a boy thing?
WUASTC - Thanks on both counts. I won't say which was the more difficult achievement. :)
Post a Comment
<< Home