my dear boy

the other night l* was sitting in my lap and drinking his milk ... i whispered in his ear, "you are a dear boy" and he shook his head, "no".

i said it again, "you are a dear boy" and he shook his head, "no," again. 

i asked, "you're not a dear boy?" and then i said, "you're my dear boy" and he nodded.

then he took his bottle out of his mouth and said, "not regular dear boy". i nodded.

he put his bottle back in his mouth and was content.