Misunderstandings

Our lives seem to be filled with them lately.

I don't know if it is because Haley is understanding more so I am pushing the envelope or if she is starting to understand less.

It is happening frequently and it seems to be more upsetting to her now.

And to me too.

Like yesterday afternoon.

Haley likes to have popcorn when she gets home from school.  I make a microwave popcorn that only has oil in it, so no dairy or artificial flavors.  I usually dump the bag in to a larger bowl and then take handfuls of popcorn and put them into a smaller bowl for her to eat from. 

I do this for two reasons.

1.  Her Dad likes to eat some popcorn too.  If there was just one bowl she would eat it all likety split.

2.  If I just dumped the bag into a bowl she would eat it all likety split, unpopped kernals and all.

The unpopped kernals eventually make their way through, but I like to avoid that step.

So, Haley finished her small bowl and then brought me both her empty bowl and the big bowl.  She wanted me to put some more popcorn into her small bowl for her.  I started to do that and then I thought "She could do that herself." 

So I started to show her how to take handfuls of popcorn out of the bowl big bowl.  Then I thought "I dumped the unpopped kernals into the garbage can today."  I was trying to head off the eating of the unpopped kernals by getting rid of them entirely.

My thought continued "She could just eat the popcorn out of the big bowl."

So I said "Why don't you eat the popcorn out of this bowl (holding up the bowl with the popcorn in it) and put this bowl by the sink (holding up the small bowl.)"

She took the bowls and walked away.

Then I heard a weird sound.

I got up and headed to to kitchen.  There she was standing at the sink making a sad sound and looking down in to the sink.  I walked up behind her and realized what she had done.  She had dumped the popcorn in to the sink and put both bowls on the counter next to it. 

She was looking at the sink with a sad look on her face. 

Then she looked at me.

"Haley, that is not what I meant." I said.

And don't freak out...

I picked the popcorn out of the sink and put it in the small bowl and handed it to her.  She still looked very sad, but she walked away carrying her bowl.

I couldn't make this stuff up.