Reading Some of the recent posts here makes me think of what I keep repeating to my 12 year old, hoping some day it will sink in. That is "Just try to be kind...and say sorry when you've hurt somebody's feelings". It would make the world so much more peaceful...
Having said that, it has most definitely NOT sunk in yet, judging from my conversation with her a few minutes ago.
ME: What are you watching?
HER: A Dystopian movie.
ME: Well, it's bed time. Time to turn it off, you can finish it tomorrow.
HER: I didn't watch it, it's way too scary.
ME: But you were just watching it.
HER: No I wasn't.
ME: Then what were you watching?
HER: The dystopian movie, but I wasn't watching it.
ME: What do you mean you weren't watching it, you just said you were.
HER (Yelling) NO I WASN'T, YOU'RE NOT LISTENING TO ME!!!!
(Her yelling continues on for another five minutes, yelling over my attempts to ask her what she means, therefore rendering any kind of intelligent communication utterly impossible)
So, long story short, I was raked over the coals for not knowing that a scary movie called "IT" flashed up on Netflix as she was clicking out of the movie she was watching. I missed that, and being HOH, I also missed the undetectable emphasis I imagine she put on the word "IT" when she all of a sudden started talking about another movie out of the blue. (My older daughter, overhearing the racket, explained it to me, apparently she's heard of "IT" too!). This could have been worthy of a Three Stooges skit (Re-read the above exchange with this enlightened context) but instead was turned into a nasty accusation of me not listening.
Yup...I shall continue to repeat myself...please, please remember to be kind.