Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Top10 lines most frequently used by ME

In no particular order. All are equally frequent in usage. Tone varies.

1) "No." Usually made in response to requests for TV, DVDs, computer games, gummy bears, chocolates, bread before dinner, more allowance, hamsters for pets and Maggi mee breakfasts. But can be used for many, many other purposes and occasions.

2) "Yes." Usually made in response to the "Do I have to..." question

3) "Because I say so." usually made in response to the "But WHY do I have to..." question. Sometimes alternates with "Because I am your only mother."

4) "I don't care if you like it or not. Just do it."

5) "Have you done your homework?"

6) "Did you do this??"

7) "Pick up your clothes/toys/crayons/magic pens/paper NOW."

8) "STOP!" usually followed by: "You're killing/suffocating/squashing/hurting him/her/it!" Can occasionally be followed by: "I don't want to hear it."

9) "Wait." "Not now." and "Later." Used interchangeably.

10) "Stop whining!RIGHT NOW."

"QUIET!!" is also a big one with me. Usually yelled in the car when four or five voices are piping up at the same time. And usually when I am (a) hungry and grumpy (b) looking at not-very-accurate maps in a foreign country (c) trying to listen to that song from the 80s on the radio which I lurve and had not heard for 20 years (d) hungry, grumpy AND browsing the makansutra while fielding off demands for McDonalds and (e) when KH and I are trying to hold an adult conversation about the sandwiched middle class (that's us!) and the widening income gap. Or something like that.

1 comment:

MIM said...

Hah, other common phrases for me are "Do I need to scream??", "why am I not getting an answer?".

And Timmy seems to have picked up on a fave phrase of mine: "I have no idea". Oh well, beats the commonly heard "I don't know" from the kids.

Ah, talking abt the "I don't know" phrase. Daniel's got a kick out of saying it the way his violin instructor does. China-American English. *hehe* But it's quite funny bc he says the "I don't know" with a uptone. Unusual.