communication

It has been my experience that when parents tell their children something, they hear the opposite. I have the perfect example. Let me start by saying I love my children from here to the moon and back. We were making a Get Well card for Fred who was feeling under the weather. The plan was to cover a long piece of paper with the girls' hand and foot prints. We were working on the kitchen floor. We got the paint on their feet and said, "Stay on the paper." They looked at eachother, smiled and took off running for the living room. What followed was not pretty. The card got finished and we learned the Cecilia is allergic to red paint. As we were cleaning them up, Grace said, "Mom will you ever make me leave?" I told her she wouldn't have to leave unless she wanted to. The next question is the one that confused me: "Mom, will you ever put me in the toilet?"