The scene: a mother and her 12-ish year old son stand in the toy section, separated by four aisles of space. I’m right between them.

The mother speaks: “Billy, come over here.”

Billy ignores her.

“Billy, please come over here now.”

Billy continues ignoring her.

“Billy, come here right now, or I’m going to start singing.”

Billy looks mortified, dutifully sulks to his mother’s side.

[finis]

That, dear friends…that was a brilliant bit of parenting, and the funniest thing I saw all day. (Though the dwarf hamster getting spun unwillingly upside down around his exercise wheel by a fatter cagemate was a close second.) Kudos, anonymous mother!