On the mornings that I have to go to work, Calvin and I will always get into the following conversation:
Calvin: Where are we going today?
Me: You are going to rascals (day care) and I am going to work.
Calvin: Ok. Papa will bring me to rascals and ma ma will bring me home.
Me: Yeah. Will you have a good day?
Calvin: Yes. wo bu hui ku de, wo hui hen guai (I won’t cry, I will be very good).
He sends me to the door and has to be the one to close the door behind me. He wants to shout “bye mummy!” and hear me reply “bye Calvin!” from outside the door. He will repeat 3 times and finally, he will tell me “ma ma, ni bu yao ku ha!” (mum, you don’t cry,ok!) To which I always reply “wo bu hui ku de!” (I won’t cry!). What a beautiful start to my day. 🙂
On occasional mornings, Calvin can get a little clingy and he is a little reluctant to let me go to work. On such a day, the conversation usually go like this:
Calvin: Where are we going today?
Me: You are going to rascals and I am going to work.
Calvin: No, I don’t want you to go to work! I don’t want to go to rascals!
Me: I have to go to work.
Calvin: I follow you to work.
Me: You can’t.
Calvin: start to whine….
Me: I have to go to work so that I have money to buy toys for you!
Calvin: Ok! ni kuai dian qu zuo gong, hen chi le! (you hurry get to work, it’s late!) Bye ma ma!
 I might have done *bad* thing here, saying things that I will regret later, but desperate situation (when I am late) calls for desperate measures!
 Some mornings after breakfast, Calvin starts to think of his dinner! Here’s a *cute* conversation:
Calvin: Ma ma, what are we having for dinner?
Me: Teriyaki chicken and vegetables and rice.
Calvin: Huh? Wei shen me ni mei you xi na ke ji? (why you did not wash the chicken?)
 …… I was lost for a moment, until I understood what he was talking about. See, when I told him teriyaki chicken, all he could register was “yaki” and to him it was “yucky”! Funny.