On whether he wants a burger: “No, not yet. Maybe in the summertime.”

On his simplified version of the Voigt-Kampff test: “Is daddy a robot?’

On your standard toddler beverages: “Coffee is my favorite.”

On things that are fine at home, bad on the Serengeti: “Lion’s gonna watch you sleep.”

On dinnertime conversation: “How was my day, Abigail?”

On Pat who mistakenly sat on a cat in a Dr. Seuss book: “He’s going to have to go sit on the couch.”

On the imaginary birthday cake that daddy thoughtlessly sat on: “It’s ruined. Now I have to get a new one.”

On Daddy’s weight: “Six pointy one.”

On things to say more and more softly as your dad demands bedtime silence: “Can you hear the quiet?”

On seasonal adjustments: “It’s hot today so we don’t need to go to bed.”