Dinner Conversation
Every night at dinner, Kevin, Raimi and I talk about our days. Kevin and I usually have lots to say, but Raimi usually sticks to the plain facts.
Me: Raimi, how was your day?
Raimi: Went to Joy’s house (“Doy’s house”).
Me: What was your favorite thing you did today?
Raimi: (chews food silently)
Sometimes if I ask who he played with, he’ll name kids at daycare, but the names he comes up with aren’t always the ones who were actually there that day. Last night, however, he had more to say.
Me: Raimi, how was your day?
Raimi: Went to Doy’s house.
Me: What did you do at Joy’s house?
Raimi: I’m bad.
Me: Oh? Did you do something bad today at Joy’s house?
Raimi: Yeah.
Me: What happened? Did Joy tell you not to do something?
Raimi: Yeah. Play cars (unintelligible) toybox.
Me: Were you messing around with the toybox and Joy told you not to?
Raimi: (nods)
I asked Joy about it, and she said what had happened was Raimi was playing with his cars on her sofa, and another kid had lost a train down inside the sofa, so she’s been telling the kids not to play toys on the sofa, and to keep them by the toybox. So he was totally saying the right thing, we just didn’t get it.
Joy felt sorry that Raimi said he was bad. She tried to tell him, “Raimi, that doesn’t mean you’re bad, just because I tell you to do something. You’re not bad!” But Raimi didn’t seem too scarred by the whole thing. He just kind of nodded, eyes glued to the morning cartoons, lost in the Higgleytown Heroes.