Quoth Melinda

Melinda seems to have very selective hearing, as is often the case with children.  Or even adults.  But it's something we often struggle with.  If we say, for instance, "Melinda, can you throw this away in the kitchen garbage, please?"  She'll yell, "WHAT?"  ... "Melinda.  Please throw this away in the kitchen garbage."  ... "WHAT??"  Making direct eye contact, and now speaking as clearly as possible: "Could you, please, go. throw. this. in the. garbage??"  .... "What do you want me to do, Mommy??"

Sigh. 

Many conversations go like that.  Sometimes you have to yell her name loudly just to get her attention, if she's really caught up in what she's doing.

So imagine today, Melinda wanted to have a sandwich, with pickles on it, for lunch.  She said so on the car drive home.  Repeatedly.  She made sure I didn't miss her request.

We got home, got our church clothes off, took care of Alex's needs, and put dinner in the crock pot.  Melinda and Jacob are playing animatedly in the playroom about 20 feet away, not paying any attention to myself or Jesse.  I say, "Oh, I know, I'll have some leftover soup for lunch.  It needs to be eaten, after all."  I pause, then say, "I don't really want to make sandwiches, either."

At this very moment, Melinda yells from the playroom,
"What did you say, Mommy???"

Oh, right.  My daughter who can't understand a word I say when I'm talking to her clearly and directly can suddenly hear me, clearly, from a mile away when I mention out loud that I might not like to make the lunch of her choice. 

How her ears picked up that single word of sandwich, I'm sure I'll never know.