Ch 11 We go to Stephanie's for dinner and Sly corrects Maria for mispronouncing “extract,” only she didn’t mispronounce it

Maria: Mom and I made pizelles last week. It was fun.

Me: The ones you brought over for dinner?

Maria: Yes.

Me: Those were fabulous!

Stephanie: We used the pizelle mold Doris gave me last Christmas. It works great. My old mold wasn’t working so hot anymore. We always make them at Christmas. It’s an Italian thing.

Maria: We made lemon and almond. For the lemon, we used lemon zest, but for the almond, we had to use almond extract.

Sly: Maria, it’s EXtract, not exTRACT. ExTRACT is the verb. EXtract is the noun.

Maria: But that’s what I said, Grandpa.

Sly: No, you said "exTRACT."

She hadn’t. I heard her. She said it properly. But even if she hadn’t said it properly, so what? We all know what she meant.

Not that I overlook grammar and pronunciation errors easily. I am the crazy person who scratches out the apostrophe in the “Apple’s 99 cents” sign at the grocery store.

But I have gotten out of the habit of correcting people in public. You know – praise in public, punish in private.

You don’t shame someone just so you can show that you are smarter. It is important to speak and write proper English, but the way to ensure that someone does so is not by nitpicking at her in front of her family.

Sly, however, prefers the Punish in Public strategy.

Me: She did say EXtract, Sly.

Sly: No, she didn’t.

Doris: Sly –

Sly: Be quiet, Doris.

Me: Yes, she did.

Doris puts her hand on Maria's arm and pats it gently.

Doris: Sly –

Sly: No she didn’t.

Me: Yes. She did. Now leave her alone.

Sly: Don’t tell me to leave her alone!

Me: Just stop, OK?

Sly: You’re not the boss of me!

Oh yes those are the exact words used by a 76 year old retired professor. By a grown man.

Me: You’re not the boss of her!

Sly: I’m her grandfather.

Me: I’m her aunt.

Sly: I’m a blood relative!

Me: I don’t care. Leave. Her. Alone.