Conversations around the house

[dsrtao]

Z, from the bathroom: Dad?
Me: Yes..
Z: Can you drink bath water?
Me*: No.
Z, to E: Told ya.




* It was at this point that my brain engaged, had a brief battle about complete truth and honesty versus expedience, and expedience won. I am sure I will be discussing the potability of bathing water in the future, and a more nuanced view will emerge then.

Comments

[siderea]

It would seem a discussion of the difference between "can" and "should" would also be useful. I work with many people still struggling with that difference. And I'm not talking about my clinical work.

[dsrtao]

Vigorous agreement, and proposal of frequent, reliable and realistic modeling of consequences of plans as an initial definition of maturity.

[siderea]

Oh, while cultivating the ability to differentiate these in a course of action is highly laudable, I was thinking of the more modest aim of merely knowing which one one means to ask to get the answer one requires. I've been training people at work, "Never ask a programmer if something can be done: you know the answer. The answer is 'yes'. The answer is always yes. It doesn't actually answer the question you thought you were asking, though."

[dsrtao]

True. And it can be a useful exercise to brainstorm methods of accomplishing the preposterous.