Possibly.

There are a lot of things I said I'd never do when I had kids. Curfews, regular room cleanings, cleaning under the bed, random answers and annoying things my parents did that I didn't understand until I had my own children. Case in point, my Dad was a big proponent of 'because I said so.' I don't fault him for pulling that card, especially because I was the wheeler and dealer in our household constantly trying to maneuver something into a territory that got me where I wanted to be or somewhere I was pining away to go.

Well, kids, learn this. What goes around comes around. I've heard the statement too many times to ignore in the years I've had my boys. I've repeated the same actions and statements as my parents- which proves them as smart as they always were. My learning today came before 9 AM.

Jackson was really, really wanting something that wasn't a breakfast food. A treat. Totally didn't qualify for breakfast, lunch or dinner... or the category of nutritious snack. If you've met Jackson, you know he is persistent and has to be maneuvered to move off task and on to something else. So I dug in my parental bag of tricks and used the word 'Possibly' on him. The response was unexpected and I should have known better:

"Possibly isn't really an answer, Mom. It's a way for you to delay the real answer, which I think is no but should be yes. So, if that's the case, just say yes and we'll be on the same page. Possibly is just confusing."

I officially declare 'possibly' retired.