Sounds familiar? I’m sure the Dads out there get it too, yes?

Spud, don’t forget to eat. *silence* Spud, please eat. *silence* Spud, can you please put the food in your mouth. *silence*. Spud, please put the food in your mouth. In the meantime, she’s fiddling with her dress or her hand or whatever it is that’s available on the table or teasing one of the cats who happens to sit next to her.

I would probably have to repeat it 10x, and sometimes tapping her on her shoulders several times with my face really, really close to her before she even acknowledged what I’m saying.

The same thing happens when they put on their socks or their shoes or asking them to take their towels from their bathroom or asking them to pick up their toys from the floor amongst other things. Their age difference does not seem to matter.

Squirt, can you please pick up your car. *silence* Squirt, please pick up your car from the floor. *silence*. Squirt, for the 100th time, can.you.please.pick.up.your.car. *huh* I said, please pick up your car. “Okayyyyyy”. *still nothing* Squirt, did you not hear me. PLEASE. PICK. UP. YOUR. CAR!” Then, ever sooooo sllllooooowwwwwly, he would saunter over, got distracted by other things as he walked 2 meters to the car he was supposed to pick up, and quickly got busy with other things…like disturbing the cats.

How damn bloody annoying! How many times do I have to repeat myself?! This would get worse when these little critters are teenagers, wouldn’t it!

I’m already sounding like a broken record. Even I am annoyed at the sound of my own voice repeating things over and over again, only to be ignored.

So then, this is when I go: “Who wants chocolates?”

Then suddenly, everyone hears me loud and clear. Like cats, their ears perked up, their eyes darted towards me and their pupils dilate. I didn’t even have to repeat myself! Just like that, they heard me.

I guess chocolates do solve everything.