Under Orders from Headquarters! (An Occasion for Persuasion!) Scene: MOM dressed as General Patton is talking to her troops. BILLY (age 12), FRED (age 11) and WALT (age 10) are sitting around a round table in the kitchen. It is snowing outside. MOM: I’m glad you could all take time out from you busy schedules to attend this important meeting. Billy! You… with a basketball game at the school in 4 hours. Fred! You… taking time off from sledding down the hill on the driveway that leads behind the house while continuing to set up and knock over all the trash cans below. And you.. Walt! You taking the time off from your busy day of XBox and Nickelodeon! Again, I thank you for attending this meeting! BILLY: Are we having grilled cheese, or not!? MOM: Son! You will speak when you are spoken to or have orders to speak! Do you get me? BILLY: Yes, Mom… I mean… sorry, General! MOM: Your Father is on assignment in Cleveland and will be out on maneuvers for the next two days and so I have been authorized to hand out your orders and instructions for your specific duties in regards to the immediate care and defense of our base and surrounding perimeter! WALT: What did she say? FRED: She said we have chores to do and that she is about to tell us what they are. MOM: No talking in the ranks! I will list the first assignment, so I want you to listen close and get all the details. I want these orders followed to the letter. Do you understand? FRED: Yes, Mom… er..General! BILLY: Whatever… General! WALT: Do we get to eat? MOM: You may have rations when you return from assignment! WALT: Is that grilled cheese? MOM: Quiet! First order of business. You will put on your snow uniforms. This assignment requires hats, gloves, boots, scarf and coats. If you understand what I just told you.. reply with a “Yo”! BILLY: Yo! FRED: Yo! WALT: Ha ha.. Yo yo! I mean Yo, Mommy! FRED: Call her the General! WALT: I mean General Mommy! MOM: Very good. Now I will be very more specific with the next orders. Major Billy you will go to the tool shed and get the shovel. Captain Fred you will clear the driveway of sleds, toys, trash cans and any debris! FRED: Why did she call you major? BILLY: Because a major outranks a captain! FRED: No it doesn’t! BILLY: Yes it does! FRED: Mom does a major outrank a captain? MOM: Pipe down or I will bust you to private! WALT: General Mommy? MOM: Yes, Colonel Walt? BILLY: Wait! When did he get to become a Colonel? MOM: The colonel here was promoted after he stayed around the mess hall last Category:Home › Other • Pomegranates: A newly discovered superfood • Where did the joke why did the chicken cross the road come from and why is it funny? • Can mothers diagnosed with bipolar disorder make good parents? • Spiritual evolution of human consciousness • Tips for getting a college basketball scholarship • Living with Pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) • Caring for the caregiver • Technologys impact on society