This was the conversation at lunch today:
Su: Mom, how many are you? (she means how old am I, one of her favorite questions)
Me: 34
Su: Mom, you are old and decrepit! (wild giggling)
Me: No I’m not.
F and Su: Yes, you are. You’re old and decrepit! (more giggling)
Me (in a quavery voice): Well, I can’t read you a story then. My voice is too quavery and my eyes aren’t working right.
Su: Mom, you’re not old and decrepit. You’re new and decrepit.
F: Su that isn’t right. You can’t say “new” and “decrepit”.
Su: Why?
F: (flounders about trying to explain, he understood that the concepts didn’t match up but couldn’t quite explain)
I explained and they went back to eating lunch. What kinder!