Be Careful What You Answer To!

Parenthood and all it comes with can take a great toll on you. People say that it is especially worse on working parents but I daresay that even a stay-at-home mum/dad has it rough. Probably even worse! Imagine having to listen to a tiny baby day in and day out and then add the house chores that never seem to end. You are practically starved of adult company. You find yourself repeating songs, instructions and phrases throughout the day and when your little one drops for bedtime you feel like the world is finally at peace again.
As humans we are wired to communicate and it starts from birth. Babies will cry to let you know they are hungry, sleepy, wet, bored and anything else they might be feeling. It is of course your duty as the primary caregiver to distinguish one from the other. That leads you to hoping and praying that they start talking soonest.
Time flies and before you know it, your sweet little angel can say more than just "Mama" and "dada". You enjoy teaching them new words and listening to the baby-talk. A short while later sentences are beginning to flow and you like that you can finally listen to full sentences from your munchkin.
Then the questions start flowing. Mum what is this? What does it do? How? Why? Why not this other way? Why won't you buy me that? Who is that? What did they say? Why? You get the drift. Questions that don't end! My boy's questions usually stop when he's asleep because even when he's dressing up for bed or already tucked in and drowsy he'll probably ask what we're having for breakfast the next morning. I relax when he's hanging out with someone else because I know I'll take a break from the Q&A session.
Owing to my regular schedule of unfinished chores (Lord I need a help! Amen!), my work (I work from home) and the parenting, I regularly have my hands full. I sometimes find myself far off in a distant land (hihi!) just whiling the moments away. Sometimes it's a construction site as I plan for my future home (from my lips to your ears Lord) and sometimes it's a quiet island with nobody but me, a large floppy hat, a bikini, sunscreen, a large cold glass of fresh fruit juice (I gotta keep my voice intact even on holiday), the ocean and a great book! This can even happen when I'm doing the dishes or taking a break from the computer screen.  
Being unaware of your surroundings is okay if you're alone. When you have a preschooler like mine, it's a different story. He keeps talking to me throughout my 'moment' and if I don't respond he either pokes or shakes me until I do. Of course I'll get a little irritated and instead of snapping at him (I try to be nice to keep the communication lines open in preparation for teenagehood) I may scrunch up my face and just say, "yeah, okay, mmhmmm" or whichever comes to mind. For some reason it's always in the affirmative.
When I see him running away with a huge grin I know I just made a big mistake. I call him back and ask him what he just asked me and he goes like, "I asked if I could finish the cake and you said yes" or "I asked if I could skip taking a bath today and you said yes". There goes his appetite for supper and those bed sheets will have a rough night!
My son reasons like an adult so changing that answer requires that we have a discussion. We talk about it in detail and agree on an alternative time for that which he wanted to do (if applicable) and then go back to the right schedule with him crossing his arms and inflating his cheeks
. Lord knows this can be frustrating at times!
So among my resolutions this year was to actually listen to my son. Not just to keep myself from trouble but to build his confidence as well. So far, so good. How well do you listen to yours?