I will if you want me to.

Most people in the world, when asked if they’d like another serving of food, would answer either “Yes” or “No”.

Some people would defer the decision until such a point where they are sure. Let’s chalk their answer to “Maybe”.

The past few months our younger son has been throwing a googly at us with this reply: I will eat more if you want me to.

Depending on the parents’ mood, the exasperated (or amused) response would be “Well, do you WANT more or NOT?”

This is the part where it gets interesting. Sometimes the answer would be “Yes”, other times it would be “No”.

In his own personal version of “Maybe”, this seems to be his clever way of ingratiating himself with the parents. Heads or tails I win. At least that’s what I think. But what do I know? *He’*s the twenty-first century model, not me.