It's no lie, we're big on games. And silliness. We try to keep the laughter in between the psychotic outbursts of everyday parenting. It's no different when we adventure outside our home.
On the rare and special occasion that the five of us pack up and hit a restaurant, I expect my kids to be on their best behavior. They do not bring toys into a restaurant, and we don't check our phones repeatedly. It's a special occasion for the love of God...we need to treat it as such. To keep little ones entertained, we rely on some good old fashioned fun while waiting for our meal (and therefore learning patience while fostering our imaginations). Normally we play I spy, but Wednesday we ventured into new territory: 20 Questions.
Since I was explaining the game to my older two while the hubs took our youngest potty, I got to think of 'the thing'. I should have seen it coming, as he's a little less skilled in the art of herding cats than I (his strengths in our duo lie in other avenues...such as patience). This is the Cliff Notes version of how the game went (all in the span of approximately two minutes).
Thing 1: Is it big?
Me: Well...No. One down.
Hubs: OMG, you can't ask that, you need to start more general, like is it bigger than something you think is big, because size is relative.
Thing 2 [BLURTING]: IS IT BIGGER THAN AN ELEPHANT?
Me: No. Two down.
Hubs: Ok, it's smaller than an elephant, but how small, we need to pick something...
Thing 3: Is it smaller than a tiny mouse?
Me: Haha: No. Three down.
Hubs: You have to slow down! We need to be more specific, we don't even know...
Thing 1: Is it bigger than a bike?
Me: Whose bike? And is the bike standing normal or up on its tire?
Thing 1: Mine [suddenly cut off]...
Thing 2: Is it a dinosaur?
Me: No. And it's about the size of a bike on its tire. Two more down for five...
Hubs: Please! Stop, we need to work together!
Thing 1: Is it in our livingroom?
Hubs: NO! We first need to determine if it's an inside or outside thing. We may not even have it in our home, and that question just got wasted!
Me: It is not in our living room, six. [I begin to chuckle at this point]
Thing 2: Is it in our kitchen?
Hubs: [FACEPALM]
Me: No, seven.
Thing 1: Oh, I get it, Daddy. Is it outside?
Me: Yes. Eight.
Thing 3: IS IT AN ALIEN?!?
Crickets. I swear there were crickets. Where on earth did that come from? I suppose Aliens are smaller than elephants and larger than tiny mice...but who is to say? She looked around as if we didn't hear her and shouts one more time, "AN ALIEN, YOU KNOW LIKE OUT IN THE UNIVERSE? IT'S AN ALIEN!" At this point, she looks around the table as her family is ALL staring at her mouth agape. She shrugs her little five-year-old shoulders, "What? I just wonder about the aliens, you know?"
Some how, the game resumed after the awkward silence and they all banded together to figure out a snowman on their 20th and final guess. But still...I've started to wonder about the aliens now, myself.
