No. It means No. No questions, no conversations, just No. Miss 2 doesn’t seem to get that, unless she’s the one saying it.

When she hears ‘No’, she hears:

Maybe just one more or two more. Maybe mum will do her crazy yelling thing if I do it again. She doesn’t really mean no. Of course it means do it again. It’s totally ok to keep pulling the dogs ears.

No! It means I’ve had enough of saying No, and I’m now yelling it because:

There is an impending accident. There is a close call. Her drink is about to go flying off the table, again. She’s poking the baby in the eye. She’s smearing bright red mashed raspberries on the white bedspread. She upended the talcum powder bottle on the floor.

No? It means I’m questioning her own defiant no back at me. This is an example of the old Mexican stand-off – who will break first? Who has the most patience and will to win at this exact moment.

She’s stubborn, but I’ve had more practice.

The glisten in her eye is an innocent and playful cheekiness, you can see the cogs turning, trying to justify what she is doing and get her way.

No. This ‘no’ is one where I’ve been cut off mid sentence. I’ll be enjoying a rare adult conversation which must end abruptly to save someone or something from disaster. This is usually accompanied by a run (or a hobble depending on how my old bones are feeling at that moment), a dive, a lunge or some other superhero move that would typically result in an Olympic gold medal. It’s either an epic save or a tragic, tragic fail.

And Noooooo – disaster has struck. It’s possible there’s blood, smashed glass or something has changed colour. There could be a fall down the front steps, the dog snaps and scares the crap out of everyone or even a choking incident with a grape.

At any rate, there’s yelling, swearing, crying, tears and make up cuddles and kisses. Tiny hands wrap themselves around your neck and give a kiss that only has one meaning – I’m sorry mum, and all is forgotten.

Do you relate to this? Please share your experiences in the comments below.

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