Priceless dinner conversations with my stepson and The Professor Me: Dinnertime! Boys come running. SS, piling up as much food as his plate will hold: What's for dinner? Me, eyeing his plate already full of the answer: Venison roast, potatoes, carrots and green beans SS, fork halfway to his mouth: Venison is gross. Me: You've never had it, so at least taste it before you puke. SS, after a few exploratory mouthfulls: Hey! It tastes like meat! Me: My sister's finally getting a dishwasher! TP, shovelling in roast and mashed potatoes: That's nice SS, with a scandalized look on his face: Finally? How have their dishes been getting cleaned? Me: with soap, water and her hands. SS: Oh, you mean it broke and she's getting it fixed? Me: No, I mean she hasn't had a dishwasher in about 5 years*, so she's been hand-washing dishes. SS: {scandalized silence, then sputtering} But...I mean..how does she DO that? *I was wrong; she's only been without one for 3 years. But right now my stepson thinks she's some kind of super-human for washing dishes BY HAND for that long, so I don't want to ruin the illusion that she has some kind of dish-washing super powers. If I think hard enough, I can turn this into a scare tactic and use it to my advantage.