A Snippet of Conversation from Dinner Last Night

At dinner each night, we go around the table, and everyone says what was the best thing about the day. When her turn came, Fiona said:

"I read some awesome books, and I got all my chores done--"

"--although it took some serious nagging," Rob put in wryly.

Fiona looked mildly offended. "Hey, it only took a little bit of nagging. Not a serious amount."

I snickered. "Darling, determining what constitutes 'serious nagging' versus 'a little bit of nagging' is a call that can only be made by the parent, not the child.

Fiona looked mildly embarrassed. "Yeah, well. The kitchen floor and I are not friends."

"I'm sure that in the case of the kitchen floor," I told her (thinking of all the times she's blown off that particular chore) "it's mutual."