A smile isn't the same as getting the task done, but it's nice anyway.

'Do not pass Go.  Do not collect $200.' is a direction everyone who has ever played Monopoly understands - and hasn't everyone played Monopoly at least once in their lives?   When I use this directive to my children they understand I want something done NOW, there will be no reward involved, it just has to be done.

My teenagers have grown up with different games though.  Sure, we still play Monopoly and Scrabble, and 500, and Uno and all the good 'ol games, but they have electronic game playing as well, and its phrases are also entering their vernacular.

I told Davey it was getting late and he needed to take his clean clothes into his bedroom, have a shower and go to bed.   He duly disappeared to his room with his stack of folded clothes to put away.  A minute or two later I heard the sounds of his much loved ukelele, and I kept hearing the sound of his ukelele for several more minutes. 
"Hey Davey" I yelled  "That doesn't sound much like the shower running".
"Side quest" came the instant response.
"What?" I asked Em who shrugged her shoulders.
"What are you doing?" I yelled back to Davey.
"Side quest"  he yelled back, then as he appeared back in the lounge room, still strumming his ukelele, "It's worth a hundred bonus points" he said while grinning cheekily at me.

So, when giving directions now, I say "No side quests" rather than "Do not pass Go.  Do not collect $200".  It doesn't mean I have a higher success rate, it just gets a bit of a smile as they trudge off to find a way of avoiding doing what I want them to do.

Comments

[Daisy]

It's all in the language!