Parental situations!

I was sitting with the two girls relaxing and watching TV. The twelve year old turned to myself and her ten year old sister and said

"I've got a joke"

"OK, let's hear it then", said I, only slightly worried. Twelve year old girls are dangerous, as are girls of all ages.

"OK, a Panda bear walks into a pub."

"A ha" we replied.

"So it eats, shoots and leaves". She said.

I laughed, trying not to sound too enthusiastic but also keen to make it sound genuine and thus avoid any type of inquisition. My knowledge of that joke involves prostitutes, bears, cigarettes, dictionaries and sex. I didn't really want to know whether my daughter actually knew what the joke means. I sure as hell didn't want to have to explain it.

In times and situations like this a smaller sibling can be relied upon to come out with something unexpected. She did.

"I don't get it"

I contemplated jumping out of the window but opted not to. I like to confront and face any challenging situations like the alpha male that I am.

So I kept dead quiet.

Twelve year old said,

"You don't get it?"

"No" says younger sis.

"Well a Panda bear eats shoots and leaves doesn't it?"

"Oh no" I'm now thinking.

"Yes it does" says younger sis.

"So the Panda goes into a pub right?" says twelve yo.

"Yes" replies younger sis

"And it eats, shoots and then leaves."

The smaller, but more menacing sister still looked confused. I was thinking that either myself or the elder daughter would have to explain "shoots". I didn't want this to happen. But it did.

Elder sister said to the younger one,

"You know, the panda's got a gun. It goes into a pub and eats, shoots (she makes a firing gun action with her hand) and then leaves the pub."

"Oh I get it. Yeah good one" said ten year old.

We carried on watching TV.

I breathed a loud sigh of relief.