Dad says Huh, what?

When I was a kid, my dad used to always say everything with one audible sigh: "Huh." Depending on the situation presented to him, or the observing he'd just made, depended on the tone of the sigh. Sometimes, "Huh" could be interpreted as, "That's so stupid, I can only retort with a sigh, Leslie. And no, I won't give you money for it."

And other times, it was "Huh." as if to say, "I'm impressed by that. But do not need to express my outward feelings about it because I'm sure Leslie will do that enough for the both of us" kind of sigh.

Daddy could sum up the presidential debates with one "Huh." And you would know exactly from that one sigh, exactly what he thought of it. There were times he had no idea I was close enough to hear him sigh, "Huh". But if I heard it, I always looked up to see what he was talking about.

I've noticed Ricardo does the same thing all the time. It makes me smile. In bringing it to his attention, I realize I do it, too. "Huh." It's pretty rare that I shorten my sentences to such a finite expression. Sometimes I do it in a desperate effort to not say what I'd rather say. I find myself doing it alot.

The other day, I explained to Max that he had to clean his room. He walked off and did it, "Huh." And I knew exactly what he was referring to. How dare he suggest I was an ungrateful mother who made ridiculous demands of his lounging time!

How do you tell a boy, "Don't you say HUH to ME!"

I didn't. Instead, I embraced the 80's public service commercial, "I learned it from YOU dad. I learned it from you!"

That's how I roll.

Song of the Day: If I had a Boat by Lyle Lovett