Sales person: Hello, may I speak to the man of the house, please? 

Youngster: (whispering) No, he's busy. 

Sales person: Well, then, can I please speak to your mother? 

Youngster: (in a whisper) She's busy, too. 

Sales person: I see, how about your brother? Can I speak to him? 

Youngster: (whispering) No. He's busy too. 

Sales person: (losing patience) Is your sister there? Can I talk to her? 

Youngster: (in a whisper) She's busy too. 

Sales person: (by now quite exasperated) What are all these people doing that keeps them so busy?!!! 

Youngster: (still whispering) Looking for me. 

An Only Child 

The life of an only child with a single parent can be lonely at times. When my daughter was three, she often found herself wishing for companionship on the weekends. During the week there were friends to play with at nursery school, but on the weekends, it was just the two of us, and a mommy isn't the same as another little person. The kids in our neighborhood were all too old to want to play with a preschooler. Even a pet would have been fun to have around, but we lived in an apartment, and she knew that pets weren't allowed. The landlord had said so. 

So one Saturday evening as we sat on the steps of our apartment enjoying the evening breeze, she pleaded, not for the first time, ``Mommy, why can't I have a baby brother or sister? I want somebody to play with that can live with us all the time. Pleease can you have a baby?'' 

``Well, honey,'' I answered slowly, casting about for a way to get myself off the hook, ``it's not up to just me.'' 

``Oh'' she murmured, then sat silently on the porch, face downcast, thinking hard for a solution. I was wondering how to console her, when she suddenly brightened and popped up, ``I know, mommy! You can ask the landlord. Maybe he'll say yes!''