The Story Spark was Mothers.
Mother Knows Best
“Mom! You promised.”
Her reply was quick, “And what was it that I promised? I promise lots of things.”
“You know, you promised that I could do it.”
“Hmm, that too, I say a lot of times.”
“Well, it’s not my fault that you don’t remember. Just say yes!”
“Well, that’s as clear as mud. What would be my reward for saying yes?
“Well, if you say yes, then you would get to have the opportunity of being the greatest mom there ever was,” was my answer.
“As tempting as that is, I actually was trying for the most canabrious mom that there ever was.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
She looked at me with those knowing eyes. “Canabrious, is one who Canabries when responding to a child’s request.”
Not wanting to look foolish or ignorant, I said, “I knew that. I was just testing you. So does that mean I can do it?”
“Ah,” she said, “According to Canabriatic wisdom, the answer depends on full knowledge of the situation, the activity involved, the characters involved in the action, and whether or not the request was made under certain circumstances.”
“That’s a lot of information,” I said, “What might those certain circumstances be?”
My mom was no pushover, so I wasn’t surprised when she answered, “Were you and I in the same place, at the same time, when this request was promised?”
I got the feeling that my mom was on to me, so I had to be very careful when I answered this question. “Yes, we were both in the same place, right here in fact.”
Again, she got me, “Together in this room, or in this house?”
I answered quickly, “We were in the same house, but I’m sure you heard me, because you promised.”
My mom nodded her head. “And the promise was made as a direct answer to that request, or were there any other requests before or after the promise was made?
Too late, she got me. “There might have been.”
With a smile on her face, knowing that that particular request was too low for her to hear, she calmly said, “No, you cannot go out and play with your friend Ronald today. Now, what was the request that I promised you?”
I answered quietly, “Can I have an extra cookie in my lunch tomorrow?”
She answered, “Yes, of course, after all I promised.”
