Asking First

“Joseph go downstairs and put on your blue velcros, I’ll be down in a minute.” Joseph goes downstairs. It is quiet. “MOM!” he yells, then starts talking. I call down, “I’ll be down in a minute!” More talking. I come down a few minutes later and Joseph is sitting at the counter, very still. Looking back over his shoulder, he explains himself…

“It was peach,” he says. An an empty container is practically spinning on the counter in front of him and he has a glob of yogurt on the tip of his nose.
“You had a yogurt?”
“Yes.”
“You know you are supposed to ask before you get stuff out of the refrigerator by yourself, right? We keep those for lunches.”
“I know but I was hungry for yogurt. I waited and I was still hungry. I asked you but you didn’t say anything, so I waited, then I thought about it then I got the yogurt and ate it.”
“Joseph, if I’m upstairs I can’t hear you. I don’t want to yell back and forth through the house. Either you come up to where I am or wait until I come down.”
“Okay. …Can I still watch your phone in the car?” (he gets to do this is he has a well-behaved and cooperative morning)
“I’ll think about it. We’ll see how the rest of the morning goes.”
“Next time, ask first.”
“I did ask.” Touché.
“Next time, ask and wait for the answer first.”
“Okay, I will.”

It was peach...