Conversations with Dash – the great slot machine question
I often wonder where the manual is for handling the questions you get from your children as you attempt to raise them. If anyone knows of one, I’d sure like a copy.
…
My little man is a bit of a character.
A typical seven-year-old in many ways.
With typical seven-year-old fascination with toys and lollies and slot machines.
I am always having to say ‘No‘ to gum ball dispensers at our local cafe, and those random pick-up claw games at arcades. But I had trouble keeping a stern face during my ‘Save you Money, Mate’ spiel on the trip back from BrisVegas on the weekend.
A typical seven-year-old in many ways.
With typical seven-year-old fascination with toys and lollies and slot machines.
I am always having to say ‘No‘ to gum ball dispensers at our local cafe, and those random pick-up claw games at arcades. But I had trouble keeping a stern face during my ‘Save you Money, Mate’ spiel on the trip back from BrisVegas on the weekend.
…
We were in a little service station in the middle of nowhere, and I had let him visit the ‘Gents’ on his own (with me keeping vigil at a table near the door, which led into the restaurant). He was so proud of his solo effort before we did coffee (me) and ice-creams (them). As we packed up to hit the road again, Dash decided to ‘go’ again.
We were in a little service station in the middle of nowhere, and I had let him visit the ‘Gents’ on his own (with me keeping vigil at a table near the door, which led into the restaurant). He was so proud of his solo effort before we did coffee (me) and ice-creams (them). As we packed up to hit the road again, Dash decided to ‘go’ again.
…
I was all “Geez Dash, you just went” as he marched in to do his boy business.
He arrived back within a couple of minutes with an expectant look on his face.
“Can I have a dollar Mum?” he asked, eyes wide in anticipation.
“What on earth for?” says I, looking around the sparse offerings in the diner.
“There’s a game!” says he, blinking.
“Where?”
“In THERE…” pointing back into the Men’s Room.
It took me a moment.
But the lady sitting next to us got it straight away.
“Oh dear!” she whispered as she stifled a giggle.
I choked.
“Can I have a dollar Mum?” he asked, eyes wide in anticipation.
“What on earth for?” says I, looking around the sparse offerings in the diner.
“There’s a game!” says he, blinking.
“Where?”
“In THERE…” pointing back into the Men’s Room.
It took me a moment.
But the lady sitting next to us got it straight away.
“Oh dear!” she whispered as she stifled a giggle.
I choked.
Hand to mouth, I suddenly realised what the ‘game’ might be.
“Um, I don’t think so darling…”
“Um, I don’t think so darling…”
And then tried to explain just why those particular dispensers were different to the plastic-toy ones at the front of the local cafe.
“Oh…” he said. “Grown Up Toys.”
And we left it at that.
…
Life is a minefield, isn’t it?
A minefield without a blinking manual…
11 Comments
jeanie
Oh! My! Goodness!!!!
Reminds me of the time driving past "Bad Girls" with 'Salina and MaxG in the back seat, and MaxG informing me that he was NEVER going in there if there were Bad Girls!!
That is a fantastic story.
Kate
Ha!!! Oh my word. That is too funny. What a world we live in. I remember the first time i saw one of 'those' dispensers. I was a bit confused at first too 🙂
Mom L
OH, wow! I wish someone had taken a picture of your face as you bit your tongue and tried to keep a straight face!
Nancy in Iowa
Leenie
:D! :D! "Grown Up Toys"
Have grandkids that age and am STILL looking for the blinking manual.
Kelly
How funny!!! I didn't see that coming until it hit me!
Danielle Michelle
I just snorted outloud in front of my students! That is too precious!
Elizabeth from the Gold Coast
Oh Bush Babe, I had a similar experience many years ago….Hubby and I, being very adventurous, packed up our boys (then aged 8 and 11) and took off on a world trip for a year…we were in Frankfurt airport awaiting a flight to yet another exotic destination when Hubby and the boys visited the loo…our youngest (just a little older than Dash at the time) returned and asked me for a coin for the "Bubble Gum" dispenser – of all the "flavours" on offer he had already pre chosen the "strawberry" one. I reached into my bag to oblige him with requested coin when, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Hubby shaking his head profusely, he had already denied the request by saying he didn't have required currency…I found myself in the same situation as you, back stepping and looking for that elusive manual!!!
I guess the so called manual is never far from us, it just takes a moment or two to gather composure, dust off the shock and refer to the manual within.
Scotty
'grown-up' toys, indeed, lol – very astute young man there, BB.
🙂
Heather
That made me laugh out loud!! I too have a 7 year old boy, who is a real character. He constantly cracks me up!! Makes life interesting.
Pencil Writer
Oh the joy of rearing children. They never cease to amaze! I heard my 6 yo granddaughter commenting to her 4 yo brother today about where in the sequence things were when he joined the movie in progress on TV. "Precisely!" She said with enthusiasm. Dang! I didn't know she knew that word, much less how to use it correctly. I think I was probably 16 before I knew it . . .
Debby
I remember when my own brother was small. He and a curious band of boys went in to investigate the mysteries of the girl's bathroom at the elementary school. Two standing guard, two going inside. One had a dime for the sanitary napkin machine, which is how my brother came to be sitting on the school bus passing a kotex around to a bunch of mystified boys. The bus driver recognized that 'something was going on', stoppped the bus and went back. Laughing hysterically, he told ME to go back and handle that. I was about 12, and I could have died of embarrassement. Especially when my brother kept saying, "But what IS it?"