I absolutely detest this phrase. It makes me cringe and I want to cry uncontrollably. Seriously.
My mother was, and still is, an expert at using this phrase. My heart breaks a little every time I hear her use it with my younger brother and sister. Poor kids. They've no idea that they have a lifetime of "we'll see" ahead of them.
The thing about "we'll see" is that it doesn't mean "we'll see." It means No. Absolutely not. Never going to happen. Not in your wildest dreams.
It's a phrase used when people (read: adults) don't want to participate in an argument or deal with disappointed children.
Unfortunately, I'm being haunted by "we'll see."
My husband uses it. My husband!! The person who is supposed to love and cherish me and always say Yes!
He used it today when I asked him to go to Disneyland. (Also known as my favorite place in the entire world.)
Now, not only is he using a phrase that brings me to tears, but he reminds me of my mother as well.
This is wrong on so many levels.
Tuesday, January 8
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4 comments:
I can't win.
You see, I really do want to do the things that I'm asked about. But I don't know if I'll be able to do it or not.
If the kids ask me to do something, I used to say yes, and even say when. But then, for various reasons, either lack of money or something, I couldn't perform it. Maybe I would even just plain forget.
So the kids' dad said, "Don't make any promises because you are traumatizing them. Just say, 'We'll see.' Then, if it happens, it happens, and they won't be disappointed because you won't have promised anything.
So if I say "we'll see", I guess I'm still traumatizing them because it really means, "No!"
I give up. I'm just going to say "no" from now on. That way, I'll just disappoint them right from the get-go.
It had nothing to do with the kids' dad. I remember it from being a kid too.
OCD has it right, this is what you have always said when you don't want to disapoint us or argue with us.
We'll see has always equaled "NO."
You're totally right.
The worst thing is, then you hear those words, you know the person isn't even bothered to say directly "no". They just don't care, so they torture leaving you with a huge question mark on your forehead.
I will remember this when I'll have kids later ^^
http://elysian-dream.blogspot.com
Okay, that's fine. I am always open to learning. When a kid asks to do something, and you don't know if it can be done or not, what is the answer?
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