Forced sharing

"Share" is a New Big Word around the Tired house. It is usually accompanied by the ASL sign for share. For some reason, it is rarely applied to toys, although I did manage to get Miss M to leave the TV alone long enough to catch the weather forecast this morning by saying, "Please share the television with Ema." (Her usual response when we try to watch something that is of General Interest, instead of something specifically for her, is to run to the TV, turn it off, and run away with an "All done!")

But sharing food has become a source of entertainment. It is amusing, to an extreme, to share an orange slice or a bite of cheese with Abba or Ema. Because we want to encourage the whole sharing idea, we usually go along with the food as it is presented to us--with a grubby paw and a schoolmarm-like demand: "Shure!" Today I reached my breaking point, however, when commanded to partake in a half-chewed crust of bread by my little couch companion.

"Shure!"
"Oh, thank you, Miss M! It's nice to share."
"Shure!"
"Ema already ate lunch."
"Shure!"
"No, thank you. Ema is FULL!"

The prior conversation was followed up with enthusiastic noises about the avocado ("Cahdoh!") waiting on her highchair tray, and thankfully the bread sharing was forgotten. For now.