The Appropriate Pause

You catch your three year old with a handful of M&Ms he is not supposed to have. You ask him what he has in his hand, with the appropriate pause, he says “Vitamins.”

You see one of your children feeding the dog from the dinner table, against house rules. He sees that you have caught him. With the appropriate pause he says “The dog said he'd bite me if I didn't feed him.”

You find an ice cream container on the counter. It is not desert time. In it is melted ice cream. You then find three empty bowls with ice cream remnants. You call to your kids and ask who gave them permission to get the ice cream. With the appropriate pause….they finger each other.

Your husband comes home from work and asks "How was your day?" With the appropriate pause…..