Someday it will be a good chuckle for all of us, for for today, I can’t figure out why they’re no longer speaking to me.

Daddy, can we have some chocolate? she asked ever so sweetly.

- Of course,
I replied, ever so sweetly.

Yay! she shrieked to her ever-present comrade. We can have chocolate!

His grinning face transparently showed an even balance of total happiness and total confusion, and he gamely squeaked along with his sister’s enthusiasm.

I let the joy ride high for a minute. Then I remembered that I accidentally gave the wrong answer, so never being one to run from a mistake, I owned up fully:

- Oh I’m so sorry,
I said,
I meant to say 'of course not.'

I don’t remember what happened next, but I was not a king in their book anymore. How many times is a dad legally allowed to change his mind in one day?