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Overheard While Passing



I spent yesterday cleaning the condo. I worked alone with the windows and doors open, and once again enjoyed the sounds of a child-populated neighborhood.

Two brothers returning from the basketball court:

Little: “Pleeeeze! I promised!”
Big: “Nope. I’m like God. I don’t care what you promise. I want to see what you DO.”

While wrestling a huge box of garbage from the condo to the dumpster, a group of children — two girls, three boys — came around the corner of the building. I heard gasping and giggling so I pause to look down. They were all looking up at me. I briefly wished they were my students and I could ask for help.

One of the boys said, “Oh, oh. I know that look! Let’s get out of here.”
As they turn to flea a girl answered, “Yeah. Before she makes us work!”

Mother and son at Wal-Mart:

Son: “I want …” and he rattles off a whole list of things.
Mother: “If we get all that we won’t be able to live in our house.”
Son: “But I want to live in our house!”
Mother: “Good.”
Son: “But what can I have?”
Mother: “Fifteen minutes to be quiet and let me think!”

You might consider this next conversation odd, but remember, this is an island and it is surrounded by water and that which lives in it. Two of the favorite foods in Hawaii are fish and seaweed — both of which come in a surprising number of varieties.

Teenage daughter: “But I want fish for dinner.”
Mother: “Daddy didn’t catch any fish. We don’t buy what the Lord usually gives us for free.”
The daughter, with that look of disdain upon her face which only teenage girls can achieve, reached both hands into the cart, then pulled them out holding bottles of water.
Mother [heavy sigh]: “What kind of fish?”

28 Comments

  3. My favorite was the 1st one… followed by the 3rd one. I can just see my sister’s teen daughter doing that to her… Can’t you?

  4. I can just see the response already but I just can’t think in the abstract I guess LOL, what else is new. I don’t get the first one YIKES!!! Be kind Quilly. Love the last one 🙂

  12. Wasn’t it Art Linkletter that always said “Kids say the darndest Things”

    I enjoyed the chuckle, thank you for sharing

  13. Time was, kids would jump at the opportunity to help an adult with a box, in hopes of earning a dime.

    Of course, that was during the Great Depres… oops!

  16. Those are wonderfully funny.

    Thank you for putting that clock on your website, because I can never figure out what the time difference is in Hawaii from here. I’m not sure it is correct, though because it is 11:51pm Sunday night here and your clock says 8:51pm.

  17. “What kind of fish?” That’s priceless and what a “got ya” moment. Thanks for your comment on my gulls. I like the gull over water too and I was only going to post it. Then I thought people might wonder what made the jagged streaks in the water and decided to include the second one.

  18. Raven — I left it for last because it is my fave, too.

    Melli — they are listening and ready to pounce!

    Brooke — any teenager. Although if I recall, CL perfected eye rolling at three years old.

    Thom — two brothers, the little one begging the bigger one for something. I know not what and I am not certain it matters. The point is, the older brother isn’t buying his promises. And don’t worry, I won’t be mean to you for not understanding. It isn’t your fault that Y chromosome prevents you from thinking clearly.

    Jientje — So. Did. I. Thanks!

    Nessa — yep. Free and floating through the air, even!

    Juliana — the cleaning was NOT fun. I am stiff and sore today.

    Zerilda — you lived here. You know.

    Dr. John — thank you. I have a special heart for the antics of children.

    Cath — the last one is my fave, too.

    David — I am so glad you didn’t come around for my pink panties post.

    Bill — kids have no blurt dampeners on their tongues.

    Amoeba — ha! I thought about offering them those nice crisp dollars you gave me, but then I started worrying about what their parents would think.

    Andrew — that does seem to be the chose fave.

    Jeff — teens are good at that.

    Amber — the clock is correct. The sun goes East to West and we are FAR west. When daylight savings time ends, we will be 4 hours apart. Hawaii remains at standard time year round.

    Lew — it’s good for a kid’s ego. Not so good for the parents’.

  21. Kids can be SO smart. That girl was quick to show off those bottles of water as leverage. And those other kids knowing that look of a grownup enlisting their help….priceless.

  22. They turned to flea? So they turned into a flea? Or Flea (the musician) was with them? Or did they turn to flee? 😛

    I love the last one. That’s priceless!

  25. Wonderful! I love the bottled water/fish story best, but the first, overheard discussion, is the most thought-provoking. This post is well-deserving of a Post of the Day award!

  28. Ohhhhhh what a trip down memory lane I just took with the teenage logic…..sometimes they are just to quick and smart for OUR OWN good!

    My kids give me a hard time because when they would come home excited about something they would start filling in the details…you know and girl A was wearing this green shirt…like the one that….. When they had gone too far from the main story I would say “shut up and tell me” and they always got a funny look and said which do you want me to shut up or to tell you? First time it was frustrating then it became funny.

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