The Breakfast Club

At breakfast the other day, all four kids were sitting around the table eating cereal together.  K started a little question game that entertained the little ones.

"Raise your hand if you're 5 years old."

R raised her hand as high as possible and said, while waving it back and forth, "Me!"

J also raised his hand.  When R noticed this, she scowled at him and waved her had even harder.  "No, me!" she insisted.

"Raise your hand if you're 2 years old."

R raised her hand, "Me!"  She looked around the table and was quite satisfied that no one else was raising their hand.

"Raise your hand if you're 9."

Again, R shot her hand in the air, saying "Me!"  And she told S very firmly NO! when she raised her hand to the same question.  By this time, all the kids were focused on R and her reactions rather than the actual proper responses to the questions.  So they gladly let R believe that she was, indeed, the only one at the table who was 2, 5, 9 and 11 years old.

So they started asking other questions.

"Who likes ice cream?  Who wants to have a cake at their birthday party?"

R continued her "Me!  No, Me!" responses to each and every question.  And she was quite put out when anyone else tried to raise their hand.

So then K decided to change the game in a subtle way.  Such a subtle way that the 2-year-old would likely miss it.

"Who wants no Christmas presents?"  R gladly raised her hand.

"Who wants to go in the lava?  Who wants to be burned in the fire?  Who wants to jump off a cliff?  Who wants to get eaten by sharks?"

"Me!"  R replied to each question with a big, enthusiastic grin.  The three older kids were laughing uproariously and exclaiming in disbelief over R's answers.

"Who wants no candy?"

Finally the question that brought the game to its abrupt conclusion.  For R finally caught on and just sat there, looking around the table at her siblings.  Looking for all the world like that was the most ridiculous question in the world.  Because seriously, what 2, 5, 9, or 11-year-old child would ever want NO candy?!