Silence is Golden???

It has been eerily quiet in our house the last couple of days. I made a simple request. Can everyone go one week without saying the words "I want" or "I need." To hear the hooligans talk, one is left to assume they live in a hut, have no access to any electronic equipment, are forced to go naked and eat only grubs. I do feel badly for them. In actuality, we don't have a home sauna, HBO, $150 Coach shoes and we don't eat out every night. Poor things.

A typical conversation from Son #1 will start simply enough and somehow merge into "I want a new phone. Brandon got a new cellphone that is so cool. It has numbers and letters, can make a peanut butter sandwich, my bed, replenish the Kool-Ade supply, cut the grass, make good grades, solve world hunger, make soccer goals and has been elected to the Papal Council." I sort of zone out after I hear "I want."

The Bubster, son number 2, isn't quite as direct as his brother. His conversation will start out seemingly innocent enough. "I think I got an A on my French test. Jeff did pretty well, too. His mom told him if he made the honor roll all year they might send him to a fantasy football camp. I want to go." Yeah. Who do I make the check to? I'll give him credit, though...he builds up to his wish - he doesn't blow it at the beginning of the conversation.

Now Queenie...hmm. She's hard to predict. She's quite social and spends a lot of her time talking anyway. (I swear I don't know where that comes from.) She usually intersperses conversation with dew drops of I wants and needs so subtle you didn't know you were besieged with requests until long after the conversation is over. She can start a conversation by mentioning a grilling practice and end with she's going to bed - yet somehow manage to convey she needs cleats, a new bed, a book bag, a three hole punch, to go to a movie Friday and a Mini Cooper when she's 16 without blinking an eye.

Back to the request. Could they go a week without saying "I want" or "I need." I soon found out I didn't raise any dummies. They propositioned back "Can you go a week without saying 'I want you to' or 'You need to' (Notice the variation. Apparently I am bossy.) We all agreed to give a try.

I haven't said a word in two days.