present tense, child’s voice, child memory
I absolutely hate peas, or anything that yucky green color. I don’t care how long daddy makes me sit here, I will not eat them. No dessert!? Fine. I don’t care, just as long as I don’t have to eat those nasty peas.
5 minutes later…
I can’t get up from the dinner table till I eat my peas!? I’ll just wait till mom gets home, she won’t make me eat them.
10 minutes later…
Maybe if I hide them under my plate, dad won’t notice and I can leave the dinner table. But he is sitting right there in front of me reading the newspaper. I don’t care, I still wanna do it.
I’m in trouble now!? This isn’t fair. How many bites!? How many bites of the peas do I have to eat? ALL of them!? I can’t do it…I wish mom would just get home.
5 minutes later
Where’s Heidi? if only she would come along and I could sneak her the peas. She eats anything. Although she is not supposed to be around when we’re eating dinner. Please…come here Heidi…
5 minutes later…
Fine, I guess I have no choice. Ugh! Gross! This is the worse thing that has EVER happened to me I can’t believe daddy is making me eat these.
20 minutes later
Finally, I am leaving this stinking dinner table. I hate you, dad!
point of view from adult:
I remember as a little girl how one evening at the dinner table, my dad made me sit there until I ate my peas. I absolutely hated peas so I was up for doing ANYTHING but eating those peas. I thought I could just wait it out, because my mom wasn’t there that night. I knew once she got home, she would let me leave the dinner table. But for a little girl, even 5 minutes is a long time! My mind was racing, thinking of ways I could get away with not eating those peas. I wished for my dog Heidi to come along so I could “drop” them into her hungry-for-anything mouth. I hoped that maybe I could sneak them under my plate so it looked like I had eaten them. But I couldn’t get anything past my dad. he was sitting there content, holding firm to his rules. finally, after what seemed to me forever sitting at that dinner table I had to force myself to eat my peas. After tears and definitely extreme anger, I was able to leave the dinner table since I forced down my peas. That was the worst night ever ; ) But hey! I ate my peas.
