Fun House
Youngster puts spin on product labeling

By Cori Omura

Once when my daughter Kristen was 5 years old, she was working on a big coloring project, with all her crayons and markers spread out around her. When she was done, I asked her to put everything away. To encourage her, I said, "Kristen, if you put away the markers, I'll help you put away the crayons." So I cleared all the crayons away, but Kristen still hadn't even started to put the markers away.

I said, "Kristen, please put the markers away!" No movement from her.

Exasperated, I said, "Kristen! The markers aren't just going to jump up and put themselves away, are they?"

"Oh, yes, they are, Mom," she said.

Then she leaned close to me and half-whispered, "They're Magic Markers."

Has your child said something hilarious? Do you have a funny story about your spouse or other family members? The best Fun House anecdotes of 2001 will be reprinted in the 'Ohana section after the end of the year, and the selected writers will receive Honolulu Advertiser logo items.

If you have a true, humorous, unpublished short story about your family or a family-related topic, send it with your name, city and telephone number to: Fun House, 'Ohana Section, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; e-mail ohana@honoluluadvertiser.com or fax 535-8170. Enter as often as you like. Preference is given to stories 200 words in length or less.