When we were serving supper, my 8 years old son said;
“I don’t like runny yolk over my plate.”
I was surprised.
I didn’t expect he was going to have the poached egg I dropped in the soup, knowing he didn’t like it.
His big sister immediately answered him.
“Then eat it after you eat other things.”
“But I don’t want the yolk going all over.”
Of course she got irritated and replied to him “Eat other things first, and then get the egg after!”
“But…”
My husband started saying “If you don’t eat the egg, I will….”
I stopped him and asked my son.
“Do you want an egg?”
(Silence)
“You like a sunny-side up and egg salad, but usually don’t like a poached one like this. Do you really want it?”
“I…”
“If you don’t want the egg, you don’t need to worry about running yolk over your plate because you won’t have it to start.”
“I don’t want it.”
“Okay, so you don’t need to have it.”
And we all went back to the food.
Since he started talking about the runny yolk, we all assumed he wanted an egg in the first place. But the truth was he didn’t really want any egg!
It sounds quite funny but don’t we talk like this sometimes?
We start worrying about something we will never get if we don’t choose a certain way.
But why? Let’s worry about something when it really happens.
And when someone sounds worrying about something, it doesn’t necessarily means she is really in a deep trouble.
Sometimes she hasn’t even start the matter yet.
It is very interesting how easily we are tricked.
Talking with my own child is just like hearing a riddle. Never boring.