Ignoring The Silent Majority

(My husband, two daughters (ages four and six), and I are driving home after a trip into town. We have been playing a game called ‘This Animal’ where you say three things about an animal and everyone else has to guess what it is. Our four-year-old has just used her turn to try and get us to identify an animal she has made up in her head. Slightly frustrated and feeling a headache coming on I decide we’re going to play a new game.)

Me: “Okay, now we’re going to play ‘See Who Can Be The Quietest.'”

Six-Year-Old: “I know this game! We used to play it in kindergarten! How long do we have to be quiet for?”

Me: “Until I say we’re done.”

Six-Year-Old: “Okay!”

(My four-year-old starts rambling loudly about various things.)

Four-Year-Old: “What is everyone doing?”

Me: “Well, currently everyone is doing better in this game than you…”

(My four-year-old starts talking about something else that has nothing to do with anything that we are currently doing and trying to get her sister to answer her.)

Me: “SSHHH!”

Four-Year-Old: *in a very condescending tone* “Don’t you sshh me!”

(At this point the game degenerated into our two daughters ‘sshhing’ and saying ‘don’t sshh me’ to each other until I announced that Daddy was the winner and we started to play ‘I Spy’ instead.)