At breakfast time Oscar sidles up to me and inserts himself between me and the cafetiere:
Oscar: ‘Mama?’
Me: ‘Mmmmmm?’
Oscar: ‘I think I need a biscuit now.’
Me: ‘Mmmmmm….I mean, NO! We do not have biscuits for breakfast.’
Oscar: ‘But mama, I think I really, really need one.’
Me: (trying to avoid bouts of boy whinging before second coffee cup has been emptied) ‘I tell you what. Why don’t we have elevenses as a special treat today? Then you can have a biscuit.’ (and me)
Oscar: ‘That’s a good idea mama. Thanks.’
He trots off.
He trots back.
Oscar: ‘Mama?’
Me: ‘What now?’
Oscar: ‘I am worried about elevenses.’
Me: ‘Why?’
Oscar: ‘Well. We do not have a number eleven on our clock. So how will you be able to tell when it is time for elevenses?’
Me: ‘We do have a number eleven on our clock. You have just forgotten what it looks like. Do not worry. I will know when it is time for elevenses, o.k.?’
Oscar: (mollified) ‘O.k.’
He trots off.
He gallops back.
Oscar: ‘Mama! Mama!’
Me: ‘What? What do you want now?’
Oscar: ‘If we have eleven on our clock ,how come we don’t always have elevenses at our house?’
Me: ‘Because we don’t. Alright?’
Oscar: (defiant) ‘No! ‘Acos granny has elevenses at her house. And when we go to granny’s house we always have elevenses, but we don’t have them here, so I just don’t know.’
Me: ‘If we had elevenses every day at our house it wouldn’t be a special granny treat, would it? And you like going to granny’s so that you can have special granny treats, don’t you?’
Nods
‘So, if I gave you elevenses every day I would be spoiling special granny treat time, and that would never do, would it?’
Shakes head.
‘Alright?’
Oscar: ‘Yes.’
Me: ‘Good, now bugger off and let me drink this coffee.’
He trots off again.
Nice save Mama Boo!
We always had elevensies in our house because that was the time ‘Play School’ was on TV and all the little people would sit down nicely with their milk and biscuits while I had a strong coffee and a tiny bit of downtime to catch my breath!
Sharon
I worry that if I take it up permanently we will just give up on lunch altogether and eat biscuits all afternoon.
When I was a kid, my mother and I always had elevenses (although the time was variable) and fourses. For some reason these atrophied when a student, except for the perpetual cup of coffee. When I started working I got into the habit of having relatively early lunch, thus obviating the need for elevenses; the problem was that this left a long gap to tea (which as “dinner” and meal of the day) became later and later, so fourses has remained. Yay! Cake!
i never had elevenses until i went to Oxford, and the buttery would open for that special wonderful not-meal. when maryann and i are on vacation, i look forward to elevenses very much. but i do love your rationale for non-elevenses for Oscar.
Keith
Yay cake indeed.
Bronxbee
It is the best meal of the day.